Background on Bio-Ethics and Stem Cells

Transportation has been transformed by the jumbo jet plane; entertainment by VCRs; business by the computer and the fax; and the global community by the introduction of the Internet and World Wide Web — all within the life span of most of our high school students. In a generation that has learned to split the atom, crack the genetic code, and pierce the veil of outer space, the question no longer seems to be "What can we do?" but "What should we do?"

The question of "what should we do?" pertains to a whole list of issues. Under the umbrella of "bio-ethics," the Religious Action Center is currently concerned with a number of issues, including, genetic discriminationorgan donationgenetic engineering, and euthanasia. However, in some of these instances no policy has been enacted by the Reform Jewish Movement.