Detroit — Archbishop Allen Vigneron this week spoke out on behalf of defending human life in science labs, as many researchers who support embryonic stem-cell research descended on the city.

The archbishop penned an article for the Detroit Free Press opinion section and was subsequently featured in other news outlets on the occasion of The World Stem Cell Summit, which started Sunday, Oct. 3, with a “public education day” at the Detroit Science Center and continued during the week at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.

The summit brings researchers from around the globe to discuss technology related to stem cell research. The hot topic of late is embryonic stem cell research, which ends a human life, and which was made legal in Michigan by a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2008.

Keeping with Church teaching, Archbishop Vigneron encouraged Catholics and non Catholics to think about what an embryo is — a living human being, complete with DNA — and said, regardless of whether the end result is beneficial, a human life should not be ended for scientific purposes.

“Embryos are the genesis of human life, and it is morally unacceptable to intentionally destroy them, even if the scientist is trying to cure a debilitating disease or parents are responding to a difficult  challenge in their family life,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “The country we live in defends human rights at home and abroad. That defense must extend to the laboratory.”

Meanwhile, the archbishop praised researchers for continued work on adult stem cell research and research with umbilical cord blood.