“Human beings have a unique nature specifically distinct from the natures of all other animals”; therefore it is right to pose the ethical question whether “it is right to transgress that species boundary and attempt to mix human and animal natures in however limited a fashion”. So said Peter Smith, archbishop of Cardiff and head of the Department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, following the go ahead given by the HFEA (British Authority for Fertilization and Embryology) to the creation of hybrid embryos (consisting of a mixture of human and animal genetic material) for research purposes. “Instead of promoting ethically problematic research into hybrid embryos, why – Archbishop Smith asked – do we not simply encourage more research into the proven and uncontroversial area of adult stem cells? The Catholic Church is not against all stem cell research, and strongly supports such research using adult and cord blood stem cells. This has already led to major clinical benefits, whereas it appears that embryonic stem cell research has yet to produce any”.
