Cardinal Rigali Criticizes Final NIH Guidelines for Destructive Stem Cell Research

Cardinal Rigali Criticizes Final NIH Guidelines for Destructive Stem Cell
Research
Final NIH guidelines "broader" than April 2009 proposal

WASHINGTON, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cardinal Justin Rigali, Chairman
of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, reacted today
to final guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research issued yesterday by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The text of his statement follows:

"In April I criticized the NIH's draft guidelines for destructive embryonic
stem cell research, saying that under these guidelines 'federal tax dollars
will be used to encourage destruction of living embryonic human beings for
stem cell research - including human beings who otherwise would have survived
and been born.'

"The final guidelines issued yesterday are even broader. Parents who are asked
to consider having their embryonic children destroyed for research will not
even have to be informed about all their other options - only about the
options that happen to be available at their particular fertility clinic.
Moreover, under the final guidelines, stem cell lines that existed previously
or that are produced in foreign countries may be made eligible for federally
funded research even if they were obtained in ways that violate one or more of
the NIH's own informed consent requirements.

"The comments of tens of thousands of Americans opposing the destruction of
innocent human life for stem cell research were simply ignored in this
process. Even comments filed by the Catholic bishops' conference and others
against specific abuses in the draft guidelines were not addressed. For
example, federally funded researchers will be allowed to insert human
embryonic stem cells into the embryos of animal species other than primates;
federal grants will be available even to researchers who themselves destroyed
human embryos to obtain the stem cells for their research. Existing federal
law against funding research in which human embryos are harmed or destroyed is
not given due respect here.

"This debate now shifts to Congress, where some members have said even this
policy does not go far enough in treating some human beings as objects to be
created, manipulated and destroyed for others' use. I hope Americans concerned
about this issue will write to their elected representatives, urging them not
to codify or further expand this unethical policy."

For more information about the USCCB's "Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research"
campaign, visit www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign. Cardinal Rigali's April 21
statement on the draft guidelines is at
www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-087.shtml. The USCCB's official comment
letter of May 22 is at www.usccb.org/prolife/NIHcomments.pdf.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life
Activities

Don Clemmer of USCCB, O: +1-202-541-3206, M: +1-260-580-1137