God and the Embryo

God and the Embryo is an excellent, provocative, intellectually challenging collection. It covers the bases from differing political and religious perspectives (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox). It makes conveniently available church documents, as well as a statement of the President's Council on Bioethics. Best of all, it uses debates about the embryo to engage basic issues in bioethics in a sophisticated way. These include the role of religion in public debate, 'personhood' and the status of the embryo, research ethics, law and ethics, and ethical judgments in situations of uncertainty. This work will raise the level of scholarly analysis, but also will be extremely useful in connecting applied ethics to fundamental ethics for seminary or university students. -- Lisa Sowle Cahill, J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College

Discussions and debates over the medical use of stem cells and cloning have always had a religious component. But there are many different religious voices. This anthology on how religious perspectives informs the difficult issues of stem cell research and human cloning.Discussions and debates over the medical use of stem cells and cloning have always had a religious component. But there are many different religious voices. This anthology on how religious perspectives can inform the difficult issues of stem cell research and human cloning is essential to the discussion. Contributors reflect the spectrum of Christian responses, from liberal Protestant to evangelical to Roman Catholic. The noted moral philosopher, Laurie Zoloth, offers a Jewish approach to cloning, and Sondra Wheeler contributes her perspective on both Jewish and Christian understandings of embryonic stem cell research. In addition to the discussions found here, "God and the Embryo" includes a series of official statements on stem cell research and cloning from religious bodies, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the Rabbinical Council of America. "Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry," from the statement of the President's Council on Bioethics, concludes the book. The debates and the discussions will continue, but for anyone interested in the nuances of religious perspectives that make their important contributions to these ethically challenging and important dialectics, "God and the Embryo" is an invaluable resource.