Archdiocese: Send donations to different group

ST. LOUIS -- The Archdiocese of St. Louis is urging people who take part in the ice bucket challenge to raise funds to fight Lou Gehrig's disease to shift their donations away from the ALS Association.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the archdiocese suggests donating to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, an organization conducting similar research using only adult stem cells. Chicago ALS Association development director Mary Ilene Blondell says a small part of ALS Association funding goes to embryonic stem-cell research.

The Respect Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese said in a written statement that there's nothing immoral about raising awareness for diseases and there's no reason Catholics can't participate. The group says the key is to ensure donations are used to support "morally licit research."

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com