The Catholic University and Catholic Doctrine
by Daniel Allott

Last January, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the Catholic archbishop of Washington, received a complaint from a Florida-based pro-life group concerning the use of cells from fetal tissue obtained from aborted babies by the Medical Center at Georgetown University, a Catholic institution. The complaint was issued because the Catholic Church opposes abortion and Catholic teaching clearly states "The corpses of human embryos or fetuses, whether they have been deliberately aborted or not, must be respected just as the remains of other human beings. Furthermore, the moral requirements must be safeguarded, that there be no complicity in deliberate abortion and that the risk of scandal be avoided." Despite drawing considerable criticism from Catholic and pro-life groups across the country, Georgetown has decided to allow their scientists to continue to use these cell lines to search for treatments for illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer.

While Reverend Kevin Fitzgerald, a university bio-ethicist and priest, admitted that using the cell lines was not ideal, the decision to allow 14 researchers to continue to use the lines was based on the cost of discontinuation, and the fact that, as Fitzgerald claims, "the benefits to society far outweigh the harm done by using the cells, because the abortions were not performed for the purpose of providing the cells to scientists." While Fitzgerald emphasizes that the decision marks new ground for Catholic universities concerning what constitutes ethical research, many Catholics fear that it is just another step along the path to apostasy for Catholic institutions of higher learning increasingly seduced by secular culture.

Georgetown University Right to Life President Laura Peirson said, "I was shocked when I found out that this could happen at Georgetown, a Catholic university. We support medical research and want progress as much as anyone, but in this case, the ends don't justify the means, no matter how noble the ends." Father Joseph Howard, director of the American Bioethics Advisory Commission (ABAC), echoed these concerns: "The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, which was approved by the US bishops, tells us that 'Catholic health care institutions should not make use of human tissue obtained by direct abortions even for research and therapeutic purposes.'"

Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the nation's oldest Catholic and Jesuit university and has gained a considerable reputation worldwide. However, the university's pursuit of international stature and prestige seems to have cost the institution its moral integrity.

The symbols of Georgetown's Catholic identity are easily identified: crosses in most classrooms, chapels, and a Jesuit community of over 50 brothers. However, in direct opposition to the school's religious heritage, the school regularly employs faculty that publicly stand in opposition to the teachings of the Church. The student organization Hoyas for Choice, a campus pro-abortion group, is allowed to hold meetings and distribute information and petitions on campus property. GU has also instituted a "Safe Zone" program "to assist gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) students in identifying allies in the Georgetown University community."

This divided loyalty is not limited to Georgetown. In February, Notre Dame University was the site of a gay film festival in the spirit of "promoting discussion and awareness of queer films in a context of acceptance of all sexualities". Decades ago, a student attending a Catholic institution could not only be assured that his school was acting in accordance with Church doctrine, but Catholic institutions were leaders in setting high standards of academic excellence and innovative and ethical research. Recently, however, more and more Catholic families are writing off Catholic universities like Georgetown, Boston College, and Notre Dame that, in the name of academic freedom, are increasingly conforming themselves to secular mores. Bishop Fulton Sheen once gave the advice to parents that they should send their children to secular colleges where they will have to fight for their faith rather than have their faith gradually eroded at a nominally Catholic college.

Many ethicists argue that if the research at Georgetown is successful, it could lead to a proliferation of aborted baby cell research which might create a vast market for aborted baby cell lines. Women are sometimes persuaded to choose abortion by telling them that their abortions will contribute to finding cures for diseases, without telling them the research could serve to perpetuate the injustice of abortion. Fitzgerald states, "The connection to the abortion was distant and remote enough to say that this in no way encouraged or facilitated further abortions."

Fitzgerald also claimed that the scientists did not know the cells had come from aborted fetuses when they began their work and should not be forced to abandon potentially lifesaving studies or risk forfeiting grants. Although Fitzgerald has frequently used the argument of ignorance, it is clear that this ignorance has no bearing on the decision to use these cells. In a panel discussion at Georgetown University, he admitted that even though Georgetown is now fully aware of the genesis of these cell lines, they would probably still be used, and if they were not, it would not be for ethical reasons.

Whether or not this research is ultimately found to be legal, it certainly cannot be considered moral according to Catholic doctrine. In his apostolic document, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the Pope encourages Catholic universities to "have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of the society... the cause of the human person will only be served if knowledge is joined with conscience." John Paul II makes clear that it is essential for Catholic institutions to hold themselves to a higher standard and to lead the way in ethical research. If Catholic institutions refuse to respect the moral authority upon which their faith is based, how can they expect to foster a society that recognizes God's authority?

Daniel Allott will be graduating this spring with an MPP from Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, with concentrations in international development and family and social policy. He can be reached at danielallott@hotmail.com.