D e s i g n a n D D e s t i n y Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modification edited by R o n a l D C o l e -t u R n e R bioethics/religion We are approaching the day when advances in biotechnology will allow parents to “design” a baby with the traits they want. e continuing debate over the possibilities of genetic engi- neering has been spirited, but so far largely confined to the realms of bioethics and public policy. Design and Destiny approaches the ques- tion in religious terms, discussing human germ- line modification (the genetic modification of the embryonic cells that become the eggs or sperm of a developing organism) from the viewpoints of traditional Christian and Jewish teaching. e contributors, leading religious scholars and writ- ers, call our attention not to technology but to humanity, reflecting upon the meaning and destiny of human life in a technological age. Many of these scholars argue that religious teaching can support human germline modifi- cation implemented for therapeutic reasons, although they offer certain moral conditions that must be met. e essays offer a surprising variety of opinions, including a discussion of Judaism’s traditional presumption in favor of medicine, an argument that Catholic doctrine could accept germline modification if it is ther- apeutic for the embryo, an argument implying that “traditional” Christian teaching permits germline modification whether for therapy or enhancement, and a “classical” Protestant view that germline modification should be categori- cally opposed. Ronald Cole-Turner is H. Parker Sharp Professor of eology and Ethics at Pittsburgh eologi- cal Seminary. He is the author of e New Genesis: eology and the Genetic Revolution and the co- author of Pastoral Genetics: eology and Care at the Beginning of Life. Basic Bioethics series “ese essays are a valuable resource in the debate about germline modification and are thoughtfully presented to allow for a range of religious perspectives.” —Gerald Wolpe, Senior Fellow Emeritus, Cen- ter for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania “is important collection elevates public dis- course about the ethics of modifying the human germline and displays the contributions of vari- ous religious traditions within the debate.” —Courtney Campbell, Department of Philoso- phy, Oregon State University “is book will appeal to scholars and religious readers, and moreover, help laypeople under- stand the history and shortcomings of secular notions like ‘human dignity,’ which are rooted in religious traditions but don’t survive secular culture. e contributors show that religious tra- ditions don’t outright reject all kinds of inher- itable genetic modification or even enhancement, but that they are allies in the debate of genetic modification. ese debates draw our attention to the complexity of the human ambition and mis- sion to improve the world.” —Guido Van Steendam, Director IFB, KULeuven, Belgium 978-0-262-53301-0 e MIT Press Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 http://mitpress.mit.edu D e s i g n a nD De s t i n y Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modification edited by Ronald Cole-Turner Design and Destiny Cole-Turner, editor Design and Destiny Basic Bioethics Glenn McGee and Arthur Caplan, editors Peter A. Ubel, Pricing Life: Why It’s Time for Health Care Rationing Mark G. Kuczewski and Ronald Polansky, eds., Bioethics: Ancient Themes in Contemporary Issues Suzanne Holland, Karen Lebacqz, and Laurie Zoloth, eds., The Human Embry- onic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy Gita Sen, Asha George, and Piroska Östlin, eds., Engendering International Health: The Challenge of Equity Carolyn McLeod, Self-Trust and Reproductive Autonomy Lenny Moss, What Genes Can’t Do Jonathan D. Moreno, ed., In the Wake of Terror: Medicine and Morality in a Time of Crisis Glenn McGee, ed., Pragmatic Bioethics, 2d edition Timothy F. Murphy, Case Studies in Biomedical Research Ethics Mark A. Rothstein, ed., Genetics and Life Insurance: Medical Underwriting and Social Policy Kenneth A. Richman, Ethics and the Metaphysics of Medicine: Refl ections on Health and Benefi cence David Lazer, ed., DNA and the Criminal Justice System: The Technology of Justice Harold W. Baillie and Timothy K. Casey, eds., Is Human Nature Obsolete? Genetics, Bioengineering, and the Future of the Human Condition Robert H. Blank and Janna C. Merrick, eds., End-of-Life Decision Making: A Cross-National Study Norman L. Cantor, Making Medical Decisions for the Profoundly Mentally Disabled Margrit Shildrick and Roxanne Mykitiuk, eds., Ethics of the Body: Post- Conventional Challenges Alfred I. Tauber, Patient Autonomy and the Ethics of Responsibility David H. Brendel, Healing Psychiatry: Bridging the Science/Humanism Divide Jonathan Baron, Against Bioethics Michael L. Gross, Bioethics and Armed Confl ict: Moral Dilemmas of Medicine and War Karen F. Greif and Jon F. Merz, Current Controversies in the Biological Sciences: Case Studies of Policy Challenges from New Technologies Deborah Blizzard, Looking Within: A Sociocultural Examination of Fetoscopy Ronald Cole-Turner, ed., Design and Destiny: Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modifi cation Design and Destiny Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modifi cation edited by Ronald Cole-Turner The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or informa- tion storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. For information about special quantity discounts, please email special_sales@ mitpress.mit.edu. This book was set in Sabon by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong. Printed on recycled paper and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Design and destiny : Jewish and Christian perspectives on human germline modi- fi cation / edited by Ronald Cole-Turner. p. ; cm. – (Basic bioethics) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-03373-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-0-262-53301-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Medical genetics–Religious aspects–Judaism. 2. Medical genetics–Religious aspects–Christianity. 3. Genetic engineering–Religious aspects–Judaism. 4. Genetic engineering–Religious aspects–Christianity. I. Cole- Turner, Ronald, 1948– II. Series. [DNLM: 1. Genetic Engineering–ethics. 2. Bioethics. 3. Christianity. 4. Germ Cells. 5. Judaism. 6. Religion and Medicine. WB 60 D457 2008] RB155.D42 2008 201′.666065–dc22 2007032376 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Series Foreword vii Acknowledgments ix 1 Religion and the Question of Human Germline Modifi cation 1 Ronald Cole-Turner 2 Judaism and Germline Modifi cation 29 Elliot N. Dorff 3 The Roman Catholic Magisterium and Genetic Research: An Overview and Evaluation 51 Thomas A. Shannon 4 A Traditional Christian Refl ection on Reengineering Human Nature 73 H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. 5 Germline Gene Modifi cation and the Human Condition before God 93 Nigel M. de S. Cameron and Amy Michelle DeBaets 6 Human Germline Therapy: Proper Human Responsibility or Playing God? 119 James J. Walter 7 Germline Genetics, Human Nature, and Social Ethics 145 Lisa Sowle Cahill 8 Freedom, Conscience, and Virtue: Theological Perspectives on the Ethics of Inherited Genetic Modifi cation 167 Celia Deane-Drummond vi Contents 9 Religion, Genetics, and the Future 201 Ronald Cole-Turner Suggestions for Further Reading 225 Contributors 229 Index 231 Series Foreword We are pleased to present the twenty-third book in the series Basic Bioethics. The series presents innovative works in bioethics to a broad audience and introduces seminal scholarly manuscripts, state-of-the-art reference works, and textbooks. Such broad areas as the philosophy of medicine, advancing genetics and biotechnology, end-of-life care, health and social policy, and the empirical study of biomedical life are engaged. Glenn McGee Arthur Caplan Basic Bioethics Series Editorial Board Tod S. Chambers Susan Dorr Goold Mark Kuczewski Herman Saatkamp [...]... criticisms of these constraints H Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., notes the multiplicity of religions and even of Christianities, insisting upon the one he calls traditional On the basis Religion and the Question of Human Germline Modification 23 of traditional Christianity, he identifies specific limitations or conditions that must be met by germline modification With these in place, he concludes on the basis of the. .. to be a human being upon whom they are used? What are the limits of human action, and who or what is guiding the process? Like Jonas, the contributors to this book call our attention not to technology but to humanity They draw upon the resources of traditional Judaism and Christianity to reflect on the meaning and destiny of human life, the values and principles that guide human behavior, and the meaning... reflection for the public in order to provoke a deeper discussion In the next section of this chapter, however, attention is directed to the question of how to define human germline modification and what techniques might make it possible Human Germline Modification—Definitions and Techniques Definitions Human germline modification goes by several names, such as germline gene therapy” or “designer babies.” The. .. Design and Destiny 1 Religion and the Question of Human Germline Modification Ronald Cole-Turner Advances in biotechnology are bringing us closer to the day when human beings will engineer specific genetic changes in their offspring Some see this as the ultimate in human folly They fear that parents, merely by knowing they have the option to design the child they want, will forget how to love the. .. acceptable One of these constraints—shared with some of the Protestant statements, such as the United Methodist position—is that germline modification must be for therapy only and avoid what might be called human enhancement In addition, however, Catholic moral theology objects to human 14 Ronald Cole-Turner in vitro fertilization and the use of a human embryo for nontherapeutic purposes In other words,... not meet these Catholic standards and therefore is condemned by the church, but not because it is intrinsically wrong Intrinsically, human germline modification for therapeutic reasons is morally acceptable to the Catholic Church From these statements, Protestant and Catholic, it may be concluded that the Christian churches generally do not oppose the core idea of human germline modification for therapeutic... discussion that is broadly participatory and richly informed, building on but actively expanding the current discussion, which has largely “been confined to elite governmental commissions or scholarly groups.”2 One way to expand the conversation and to engage the public is to approach the question of human germline modification in religious terms Religion is the language of morality for many if not most human. .. Discussion, Enriching the Debate The contributors to this volume draw upon living religious traditions to widen and enrich the public debate over the human future Elliot N Dorff provides a helpful general introduction to the various ways religions draw upon ancient texts and traditions to make sense of contemporary challenges He notes that from the tradition and perspectives of Judaism, there is a strong... discussions of science, technology, and public policy This book, too, is based on the hope that religious voices might deepen the public conversation about human germline modification, taking it to new dimensions of reflection on the meaning of our humanity Is This Book Really Needed? Even so, many may think that a book on religious perspectives on human germline modification is not needed One reason is... arrives on the scene The advice of experts is clear: “[I]ndividuals and public advisory committees would be wise to begin the discussion of this important topic sooner rather than later.”8 The time has come to open up the discussion, to broaden its range of participants, and to bring to bear the moral and religious traditions that shape our values and our culture even today Religion and the Question of Human . and Destiny: Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modifi cation Design and Destiny Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Human Germline Modifi cation edited by Ronald Cole-Turner The. to humanity. They draw upon the resources of traditional Judaism and Christianity to refl ect on the meaning and destiny of human life, the values and principles that guide human behavior, and. Overview and Evaluation 51 Thomas A. Shannon 4 A Traditional Christian Refl ection on Reengineering Human Nature 73 H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr. 5 Germline Gene Modifi cation and the Human Condition