Religious Views on Stem Cells

Catholic bioethics represents the teachings of the Catholic Church in form of doctrines approved by the Vatican. The double effect describes an ethical dilemma for a specific act intended for a higher good, which coexists with a bad side effect. If the act is intentionally good, and the side effect is anticipated but not primarily intended, it might be permissible according to Catholic teachings. The Catholic Church supports stem cell research but clearly condemns any experimental manipulation of the human embryo. Islamic bioethics teaches that every patient must be treated with respect and compassion. The use of embryonic stem cell research is permissible since the human embryo is not considered a person until it has a soul. Preservation of life is the most essential task in Judaism. Jewish bioethics allows the use of embryonic tissues for stem cell research for the first 40 days since the fetus is not yet considered a human being. A fertilized egg is not considered a human being in Buddhism, and therefore, it is permitted to be used for stem cell research. In Hinduism, the use of surplus embryos for research purposes is officially permitted.