The Vatican, in its first authoritative statement on reproductive science in more than 20 years, condemned human cloning, designer babies and embryonic stem-cell research, The Washington Post reported. The 32-page document, which has the approval of Pope Benedict, warns about the moral dangers of a variety of procedures, including the genetic testing of embryos to identify those with defects. “It makes very clear that the Church is very closely watching scientific progress and favors that progress but wants ethics to be part of that,” Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told The Post. “The whole subject of misuse of technology to demean human dignity is a major concern.” Perhaps most importantly, the Church says life begins at fertilization, and anything that results in the destruction of an embryo is immoral.
