wfn.org | [LCMSNews] First bioethics conference held

["LCMS e-News" <LCMSENEWS@lcms.org>]

	 <http://www.lcms.org>
e-News
	LCMS News

	PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL MESSAGE! This message comes
from a "Send Only" Mailbox that does not recognize replies.

	December 5, 2005 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 75

	First bioethics conference offers 'lots to chew on'

	Many of the more than 300 participants say they hope the first
national bioethics conference sponsored by three Lutheran pro-life
organizations is not the last.

	"These aren't abstract and obscure issues about things going on
in some faraway Petri dish. These are issues that are going to affect
every pastor, every congregation, and every family," said Paul Nus, a
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, student and member of the
Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations. "As Christians, we
need to be informed."

	Physicians, pastors, and laity from as far away as Washington
state and Washington, D.C., were among those in St. Louis for the Nov.
11 conference sponsored by LCMS World Relief/Human Care, the Concordia
Bioethics Institute of Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, and
national Lutherans For Life (LFL). The conference preceded the LFL
annual conference at the same location.

	Keynote addresses and lively panel discussions covered topics
such as stem cell research, cloning, and hormonal birth control.

	Keynote speaker Nigel M. de S. Cameron, president of the
Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future and director of the
Council of Biotechnology Policy, praised LCMS pro-life efforts. But, he
said, Christians must broaden their sanctity-of-life concerns beyond the
taking of life to also include the making of life (cloning and
reproductive issues) and the faking of life (artificial intelligence).

	A common thread echoed the conference theme, "The Image of God:
Its Meaning and Implications," as speakers urged participants not to
dismiss biotechnology issues as too scientific or too farfetched.

	"Christians cannot be afraid of science," said Dr. Sharon Quick,
a former pediatric anesthesiologist who, as the Washington state
coordinator for the American Academy of Medical Ethics, has testified
before that state's legislature on bills related to stem-cell research
and cloning. "The conference did a good job of arming people with
scientific data that supports a Christian viewpoint," she said.

	Throughout the day, attendees asked about a follow-up
conference. "We gave our laity and our professional health-care and
church workers lots to chew on, and I think we all would like to see
this happen again," said Maggie Karner, director of Life Ministries, a
program of LCMS World Relief/Human Care. "These are topics that
definitely cry out for future exploration."

	For more conference coverage, see "Notes for Life," the new free
quarterly newsletter published by LCMS Life Ministries, available on the
Web at worldrelief.lcms.org <http://worldrelief.lcms.org>  .

	****************************************

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

	****************************************

	  This Edition of "LCMS News" e-News is provided by:

	Board for Communication Services, Division of News and
Information
Contact Editor
<http://www.lcms.org/enews/contact_editor.asp?title=LCMS%20News&editorid
=6>


		To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this Newsletter and
many others, please visit LCMS e-News <http://www.lcms.org/enews> .
		Share this Newsletter
<http://www.lcms.org/enews/forward.asp?m=3418>  with a friend.

MessageId=3418 UserId=10073
  _____

Design © Copyright 2002 - 2005 The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.
<http://www.lcms.org>
No reproduction without consent. All rights reserved.