What is the position of the Orthodox Church regarding embryonic stem cell research ?
In light of the fact that Orthodox Christianity accepts the fact that human life begins at conception, the extraction of stem cells from embryos, which involves the willful taking of human life — the embryo is human life and not just a “clump of cells” — is considered morally and ethically wrong in every instance. In a testimony to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission published in Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research, Volume III, Religious Perspectives, National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Rockville, Maryland, June 2000, the Reverend Demetrios Demopulos, Ph.D. writes, “The Orthodox Church promotes and encourages therapeutic advances in medicine and the research necessary to realize them, but not at the expense of human life. The Church considers human life to begin with the zygote and to extend beyond our physical death, as we were promised eternal life by our God and Savior. Recognizing that we are all in a sinful and imperfect state, the Church admonishes us to strive for
