US bishops reject embryonic stem cell research

ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) — The US Catholic Bishops' Conference on Friday issued an explicit rejection of research using stem cells from human embryos.

It was the first formal statement issued by the Catholic church's US bishops devoted exclusively to the issue.

"It now seems undeniable that once we cross the fundamental moral line that prevents us from treating any fellow human being as a mere object of research, there is no stopping point," the bishops said.

"The only moral stance that affirms the human dignity of all of us is to reject the first step down this path."

Scientists say stem cell therapy holds great medical promise, including treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. Stem cells can develop into any of hundreds of different cell types in the body, replacing ones lost or damaged by disease.

But research has been highly controversial because, until ...