`new Pa.,' Same Leader? 
Ridge Announces Bid For Re-election

Airport Regains Use Of Its Weather System

Thursday, January 15, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Road to scientific advances badly needs ethical and spiritual signposts &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Human reproduction has taken a wild leap from what, until recently, used to
be known simply as childbirth. Now scientists have taken the creation of a
human being to new frontiers and have taken her boldly, where no woman has
gone beforeGolden girls can now experience the joy of childbirth. Then there
are surrogate mothers, in-vitro fertilization, embryo and sperm banks. About
10,000 embryos are stored in this country each year, creating many legal,
moral and emotional dilemmas. Fertility drugs have quadrupled the number of
multiple births during the last decade, ignoring the need for population
control. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The public hoopla over the birth of a brood of seven in Iowa, which is not
what nature had in mind for the human female, for the most part ignored to
mention the risks of such a pregnancy and the financial and logistic burdens
that these parents must face, thereby setting a bad example for others to
follow. It also referred to the event as a miracle, when in reality it was an
irresponsible roll of the dice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Bible Belt's religious naives seem to be unable to distinguish between
faith and science, when they disregarded natural reproduction and accepted
avant-garde reproduction intervention. With their all too frequent references
to God, they seemed to abdicate all human responsibility. But as President
Kennedy said: "On this earth, God's work is our own." So is human failure and
folly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Scots who gave us Dolly, the cloned sheep, announced that they have
introduced a human gene into a sheep hoping for it to become a "therapeutic"
animal for the production of valuable blood components for the treatment of
humans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And now a Chicago physicist with dubious qualifications wants to clone
humans. This time the response from the scientific community was swift in its
expression of universal outrage. But as one somber-faced scientist pointed
out: Human cloning is unstoppable. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This scientific march into unchartered territory has created a frightening
scenario, because there is no stabilizing mechanism in place to counteract the
increasingly complex moral-ethical, legal and emotional dilemmas. If anything,
the gap between scientific advances and social behavior is widening. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sensing this void and the absence of a moral framework, more people than
ever are turning to religion in their search for understanding and spiritual
values. As reported in The Times Leader, according to a recent poll, 71
percent said they never doubt God's existence, the highest number in a decade. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In another survey, conducted by the National Opinio

Road To Scientific Advances Badly Needs Ethical And Spiritual Signposts 
Human Reproduction Has Taken A Wild Leap From What, Until Recently, Used To Be 
Known Simply As Childbirth. Now Scientists Have Taken The Creation Of A Human 
Being To New Frontiers And Have Taken Her Boldly, Where No Woman Has Gone 
Before.