At a deeper level, questions like these remain: How can parents handle information about genetic predisposition of their unborn child to a disorder or disease ? What rights and responsibilities do employers or insurers have with such information? What are the pros and cons of knowing our own genetic proclivities? Should genetic engineering be used for curing diseases? If genetic engineering is inevitable, who will regulate such research and practice? Should the lives of human embryos be destroyed to save or enhance another human life? Who is responsible for a technologically created life--the technologist, the egg donor, the DNA donor? Are we playing God and hurtling unrecoverably down an abusive track by tinkering with these basic building blocks of life? Etc., etc.
Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, writes that once researchers have spelled out the three billion letters of the human DNA code, important new questions will confront us all. We discuss some of the many issues surrounding the exploding bio-tech industry in our special focus.
—Byron Barlowe, Editor/Webmaster, Leadership University
Cracking the Code Les Sillars Mapping the human DNA sequence is a dream come true for many scientists, but the possible consequences are giving bioethicists nightmares. Meanwhile, some observers think Darwinian assumptions cause researchers to place too much emphasis on genes.
Human Genetic Engineering Ray Bohlin, Ph.D. Genetic technology harbors the potential to change the human species forever. The soon to be completed Human Genome Project will empower genetic scientists with a human biological instruction book. Knowing this complete code will open new horizons for treating and perhaps curing diseases that have remained mysteries for millennia. But along with the commendable and compassionate use of genetic technology comes the specter of both shadowy purposes and malevolent aims. The author deals with specific ethical questions regarding medical applications of genetic engineering.
Genetic Testing for Diseases: A Judeo-Christian Perspective Michael Atchison A variety of technological advances over the past 3-4 decades make it possible to acquire a great deal of genetic information on any given individual. This paper looks at some of the ethical issues that arise from this technology and will examine how different worldviews shape our approach to those issues.
Genetic Engineering Ray Bohlin, Ph.D. Our culture teeters on the edge of a steep and dangerous precipice. New technologies will soon allow us to change, radically and permanently, the world in which we live. Indeed, we will hold in our hands the capability of directly and purposefully changing who we are as human beings. The technology I am speaking of is genetic engineering. Ethical and technical questions swirl around discussions of genetic engineering like the wall clouds of the eye of a hurricane.... I hope to lend a reassuring voice with a dose of sober realism.
Untangling a Ball Les Sillars A six-paragraph primer on the human genome and the job of those cataloging its code.
A Perfect Identifier Bob Jones DNA testing helps British police fight crime, but will liberty be another casualty? This article from World Magazine explores the implications.
To Clone Or Not To Clone Hugh Ross Is cloning inherently evil or merely a tool? Are there circumstances in which cloning a human might be good?
Begetting and Cloning Gilbert Meilaender The author, a Protestant theologian, considers the question of human cloning. He seeks to understand and explain the issue in a distinctly Christian context. This task involves looking back to the biblical account of God's plan for family life.
Go here to see our past Special Focus features.