Stem Cells and Robert George II

Professor George also wrote to me about a debate involving embryo "rescue": I don't know of anyone who believes that any particular woman (apart, perhaps, from the mother of an embryo, assuming she is alive and healthy and other relevant conditions are met) has a duty to attempt an embryo rescue.  In fact, there is a big debate among Catholic philosophers and theologians about whether embryo rescuing ("heterologous embryo transfer") is even morally permissible. Mary Geach (the daughter of the late Elizabeth Anscombe and Peter Geach, and a fine philosopher in her own right) and Fr. Tad Pacholcyk argue against its moral permissibility.  Germain Grisez, William May, Fr. Kevin Flannery, and many others argue for it, at least in certain circumstances.  The arguments, which are complicated and interesting, are set out lucidly by these scholars and others in a forthcoming book on heterologous embryo transfer being edited by Edward Furton of the National Catholic Bioethics Center and Fr. Thomas Berg of the Westchester Institute.  I have contributed a Foreword.  (My own position is in favor of embryo rescue, though I don't use the Foreword as an occasion to argue for it.)  I think it is fair to say that most of those of us who believe that heterologous embryo transfer can be morally legitimate also believe that government and private organizations which are in a position to help should encourage embryo rescue and adoption.  I certainly believe it.  So I applaud President Bush's promotion of the Snowflake program.  That program has resulted in the birth of dozens of healthy children who were rescued as crypreserved embryos.  Evangelical groups are enthusiastically promoting the program.  Catholic organizations are on the sidelines for the moment -- principally, I'm sure, because it is not yet clear what position the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will take on the matter.