Lord Winston steps into the row over the Government’s Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill. Criticising Cardinal O’Brien’, he says that the Catholic Church,
“[is] playing on fears which are just not justified. These cells are destroyed after a short period and they should leave science to the scientists because the Catholic Church has not got a good record in denouncing medical advances.
“If they care about the sanctity of life they should want human life protected and they should want some of these horrendous diseases eradicated.”
Firstly, if he thinks that the Embryology Bill is justified because the cells used live only for a short time (14 days maximum), then he is missing the point of the Church’s objection. As I stated in my earlier post, the Catholic Church takes a different view to Secularists (although Lord Winston is an Orthodox Jew?) in respect of when life begins.
Secondly, so the Church should leave science to the scientists. Yes, of course it should; but surely his Lordship is not so naif to believe that science does not have an ethical and spiritual dimension. If science should be left to scientists, then consideration of those factors should be left to ethicists and theologians. Of which, Lord Winston is neither.
Thirdly, I am glad to hear that the Catholic Church does not have a good record in denouncing medical advances. Presumably, therefore, it is better at lauding them. But perhaps Lord Winston means quite the reverse. The Catholic Church need bow to no one when it comes to medicine. Show me an occasion when she has wrongly denounced a medical advance and I will show you an occasion on which she has furthered the cause of medicine.
Fourthly, finally, if only Lord Winston cared about human life as much as the Church does. Sadly, he is as tied to his own orthodoxy as he believes the Church to be and it leads him to waste his time and others with nonsense comments that advance the debate not a whit.
