Legalized abortion removed any consideration for the rights of the unborn. In vitro fertilization made it possible to create life in a lab. Together, we have unprecedented control over human life in its earliest stages.

This has opened the door to widespread exploitation and destruction of innocent human life. One example is with embryonic stem cell research. There is great ignorance with this issue, a fact unscrupulous politicians and scientists often exploit. To understand this, we have to look at what is involved.

“Stem cells” are simply those cells that can develop into different types of body cells. In the human body they are found in many places: bone marrow, fat, nasal cells, to name a few. Cells from these sources are sometimes called “adult stem cells.” They are abundant in our bodies. To extract them really does no serious harm. There are no major moral concerns about using these stem cells for therapeutic reasons. In fact, the Catholic Church strongly supports their responsible use if done with proper informed consent.

Another place stem cells are found are in human embryos — those human beings who are just a few days to a few weeks post conception — hence the term “embryonic stem cells.” They are only acquired through the destruction of a living human embryo. The reason this type is of such interest is because they have not differentiated to become specific types of body cells yet. Therefore, in theory one may eventually be able to control that process and make those cells become whatever type of body cell is desired.

In recent years scientists have discovered another way to potentially acquire stem cells. Researchers have discovered a process by which ordinary body cells (skin cells for example) can be “re-programmed” or “induced” to act much like stem cells. The promise with this technique is that one may be able to make cells which act like the “embryonic” type without any destruction of human life.

That potential though is still a long way off.

With these different sources of stem cells comes very important moral distinctions. The Catholic Church is in no way opposed to the use of stem cells that come from adults or other sources which do no harm to those from whom they are taken. However, the Church is vehemently opposed to the use of embryonic stem cells, since they always involve the destruction of human life.

The media often lumps all “stem cells” together as though they are all the same. But the distinction here is critical — embryonic stem cells are merely one type, and the only kind that necessarily involves the destruction of a human life. If someone asks, “Are you opposed to stem cell research?” you should ask in return,“What kind?” before answering.

What about the effectiveness of each? Adult stem cells have proven tremendously effective. There are dramatic examples of the paralyzed walking again, burn victims growing new skin, damaged tracheas being regrown, and many others. Thousands upon thousands have been helped and dozens upon dozens of conditions can be treated using non-embryonic stem cells, and the list grows each day.

So what about embryonic stem cells? To be blunt, they haven’t really helped anyone yet, despite hundreds of millions of dollars and years of research. One simple reason is the issue of rejection. They are from someone else’s body, and therefore face the same rejection issues that organs from a donor may face. Other types of stem cells are often taken from a person’s own body.

Providentially the stem cells which have no serious moral objections are the ones that continue to do unbelievable good. Those which have serious moral problems have not, with little promise for the immediate future. Despite the hype and misinformation surrounding this issue, the facts make it clear that when it comes to stem cells, the path that respects life also offers the greatest hope.