Katie Kennedy
Pfeiffer
Composition II
26 January 2009
Project One: Stem Cell Research
Stem cell research, a topic that tends to be overlooked or avoided by the majority of the public due to its intricate web of complicated scientific information and of religious objections. The arguments of medical progress and the counter arguments regarding the consequences of playing God show up frequently in debates and articles related to stem cell research. Authors Laurie Zoloth and Nancy O’Brien have proven this statement to be true in the articles they have written that not only express their own view on stem cell research but those of the individuals around them as well. Though both Zoloth and O’Brien support very opposite sides of the spectrum, the two authors both incorporate rhetorical strategies like ethos, pathos, and logos into their written work.
Nancy O’Brien, a religious writer, brings the opinions of the Catholic community to light in her article “Embryonic stem-cell research immoral, unnecessary, bishops say”. O’Brien along with 191 bishops in the Catholic organization believe that “the use of human embryos in such research ‘gravely immoral’ and unnecessary”. By using the opinions of highly respected individuals like bishops, the writer utilizes authority or ethos in her article to strengthen her views. Authority, according the Encarta World English Dictionary, is the power given to somebody or a source of reliable information (somebody who is accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject), which in this case would be the bishops. For example, in mid-article O’Brien adds this quote from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann that "(e)ven our opponents admit that our [voice] is one of the most effective against destroying human embryos for stem-cell research". This not only shows that the individuals supporting stem cell research find the Catholic community’s voice an authoritative one but also...