Time to order your designer genes?
What is a human being that God would even be mindful of us, wonders the psalmist, before affirming that God has made us “little less than the angels.” The belief that human beings are a sacred creation of God may change dramatically . . .
What is a human being that God would even be mindful of us, wonders the psalmist, before affirming that God has made us “little less than the angels.” The belief that human beings are a sacred creation of God may change dramatically in the near future. Scientists for the first time recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, prompting dire warnings from religious leaders who say the research crosses a moral red line and could lead to designer babies.
Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on bioethical issues, said that “this means of making embryos for research will be taken up by those who want to produce cloned children as ‘copies’ of other people.”
After 15 years of failed experiments, scientists at Oregon Health & Science achieved the breakthrough. Researchers were able to take DNA from a human patient and splice it into a human egg that had its DNA removed. The egg grew into an early-stage embryo whose stem cells—a virtual genetic copy of the original patient—were then harvested.
Bioethicists and religious leaders who believe that life begins at conception object to the destruction of human embryos for any purpose. But they also say the new technique could lead to the cloning of replica human beings because it is similar to the process used to produce the cloned sheep named Dolly in 1996. That technique has since been used to clone a dozen other animal species, though efforts with primates have failed.
The lead researcher on the team, Shoukhrat Mitalipov, said he does not believe the new technique could lead to cloned babies because many obstacles remain. But others say the innovation opens the door to human cloning scenarios that were once confined to the realm of science fiction.
Homily hint: Many scientific and medical breakthroughs present moral dilemmas. On the one hand we are grateful for advances that prolong lives and alleviate suffering. On the other we wonder if tampering with the deepest mysteries of life—its creation and recreation—will lead us to a moral abyss. Raising the hard questions is important even when—especially when—there are no easy answers.
Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on bioethical issues, said that “this means of making embryos for research will be taken up by those who want to produce cloned children as ‘copies’ of other people.”
After 15 years of failed experiments, scientists at Oregon Health & Science achieved the breakthrough. Researchers were able to take DNA from a human patient and splice it into a human egg that had its DNA removed. The egg grew into an early-stage embryo whose stem cells—a virtual genetic copy of the original patient—were then harvested.
Bioethicists and religious leaders who believe that life begins at conception object to the destruction of human embryos for any purpose. But they also say the new technique could lead to the cloning of replica human beings because it is similar to the process used to produce the cloned sheep named Dolly in 1996. That technique has since been used to clone a dozen other animal species, though efforts with primates have failed.
The lead researcher on the team, Shoukhrat Mitalipov, said he does not believe the new technique could lead to cloned babies because many obstacles remain. But others say the innovation opens the door to human cloning scenarios that were once confined to the realm of science fiction.
Homily hint: Many scientific and medical breakthroughs present moral dilemmas. On the one hand we are grateful for advances that prolong lives and alleviate suffering. On the other we wonder if tampering with the deepest mysteries of life—its creation and recreation—will lead us to a moral abyss. Raising the hard questions is important even when—especially when—there are no easy answers.
Source: An article by David Gibson for Religion News Service