Church of Scotland changes stance on ES cell research

A working group of the Church of Scotland has issued a report on a project it undertook to revisit the clinical, theological and ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cell (ES cell) research. The group's report recommends that the Church of Scotland alters its current policy on the scientific technique. The Society, Religion and Technology project working group included stem cell scientists, doctors, ethicists and theologians, and examined scientific data as well as the ethical issues surrounding current and future uses of stem cells.

The turnaround by the Church, following the publication of the report, sees it reverse its current stance on ES cell research. The Church was known to favour the use of cloned human embryos in research, rather than those originally created for reproductive purposes. Instead, the Church's report now favours the use of left-over IVF embryos for research purposes, while rejecting the use of cloned human embryos, except for research into serious diseases and only in rare instances. Any embryo research, it says, should be subject to a 14-day limit.

The Church has its general assembly meeting next month and the document is likely to spark lively debate among the members of the church - who are said to already be divided over the issues. Spokesman for the Society, Religion and Technology project, Dr Donald Bruce, said that the theological arguments for banning the use of IVF embryos in research have been 'updated', especially when 'confidence has been lost' in cloning since the 'South Korean scandal'.

Dr Bruce went on to explain that the Church believes that society more generally tends to favour research on embryos already in existence but that are 'left over' from fertility treatments and donated by the patients. 'In 2001, the assembly took the viewpoint that spare IVF embryos which are surplus to IVF requirement should not be used for stem-cell research but cloned embryos could be used', he said, adding that 'we have turned that around and said using IVF embryos would be okay but only under exceptional circumstances. Basically, the position in 2001 has not proved sustainable'. He continued by saying that the theological rationale for the Church's previous stance on ES cell research has been called into question in recent years. 'We can't necessarily know what God's purpose for a particular embryo is', he said, adding that 'in a sense, if the purposes were reproductive they would be thwarted anyway because the embryos would otherwise be destroyed'. 'It's quite a different matter to actually create an embryo' he said.

Some commentators have welcomed the Church's report. Sheila McLean, Professor of Medical Ethics at Glasgow University, said 'I think the Church of Scotland is to be admired to be able to create this type of nuanced report, trying to make proposals about this type of thing rather than just condemning it like so many faith groups'. However, the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland has condemned the report, saying that the Church of Scotland has 'started down a dangerous path'.