Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Presents Discussion on Stem Cells & Clones: Theological Perspectives on Biomedical Research 11/6/2002
From: Erik Owens for the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 773-702-6943 News Advisory: By many accounts, biomedical research on human stem cells has the potential to yield new treatments or even cures for many diseases, but at what cost? Human embryos-whether cloned or not-must be destroyed to obtain those stem cells that many scientists consider most promising for biomedical research. Supporters and opponents alike agree that human cloning and stem cell research raise fundamental moral and theological questions about human life itself-its creation and destruction, its purpose, and how to care for it. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life will host a public exchange between two distinguished ethicists whose theological and medical expertise afford differing views on these issues: Gilbert Meilaender and Richard Miller. Special attention will be given to the following guiding questions: -- How do positions both for and against human cloning and stem cell research draw upon various theological understandings of human dignity, caring and healing? -- What is the moral status of a human embryo, and what treatment of embryos or fetuses does this require? How, if at all, does the "viability" of an embryo clarify this moral status? -- How should religious perspectives engage with the wider public on these issues, and what weight should they carry in a pluralistic society such as our own? What: Discussion of Theological Perspectives on Biomedical Research Who: -- Gilbert Meilaender, Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg professor of Christian Ethics, Valparaiso University; member, President's Council on Bioethics -- Richard Miller, professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University (Bloomington) When: Friday, November 15, 2002 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Where: The University of Chicago Divinity School Swift Hall, 3rd Floor Lecture Hall 1025 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL For more information or to RSVP, please contact Erik Owens at ec-owens@uchicago.edu or 773-702-6943. This public exchange is sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. |