A major article trumpeted a headline that said the Catholic Church stands ready to suggest excommunication for "scientists who engage in stem cell research using human embryos". A few pages later, the Religion Journal piece presented an article about the growing acceptance across Jewish denominational lines, of assisted reproduction technology that allows infertile couples to fulfill the mitzvah of procreation.

One of the many things that we continue to learn in the work of our URJ department is that the nature of our family life is changing, and that the responses of religious communities that refuse to deal with what is real in the lives of their people court irrelevancy. There is no family, no matter how it is constituted, that will not be impacted by emerging technologies. Science is not waiting for the religious leaders of the world to tell them what they may or may not do.,

One of the most powerful aspects of Judaism has always been that it understands that we live in a real world and that we understand that we have been given a gift of intellect to enhance and make our life better.

There is great potential in much of this new technology. Yes, it needs to be looked at, managed and placed in a framework that opens the door for blessing, growth and mitzvot. That is our job as a society. Remember, the technology is neutral. It is what we choose to do with it that determines its' blessing or curse. There are still bills in state and Federal legislatures that seek to control this research into the genetic frontier. There is a wealth of traditional and emerging material within the Jewish community than is helpful in educating our people as to how to make an informed Jewish choice as to the benefits and potential benefits of this science. It is up to us to educate and learn about this reality, not to seek to expel its practitioners from the community or silence their work.