On the Edge of an Ethical Slope

Yesterday there was an article in the "Minneapolis Star-Tribune" that caught my eye.  It was headlined: "Scientist claims first DNA-edited babies."  The article was written by Marilynn Marchione, a writer for the Associated Press.  The substance of this article is bound to stimulate a heated debate among scientists and ethicists around the globe.  Allow me to quote briefly from this article: "Scientists and bioethics experts reacted with shock, anger and alarm Monday to a Chinese researcher's claim that he helped make the world's first genetically edited babies.


"He Jiankui of Southern University of Science and Technology of China said he altered the DNA of twin girls born earlier this month to try to help them resist possible future infection with the AIDS virus - a dubious goal, ethically and scientifically."


Okay, let's think through this for a few moments.  Whenever genetic material is altered either by addition or subtraction, that genetic material is changed forever.  In fact, really it is the creation of a new genetic material.  Recently such genetic-editing has been used in cases of adults who are being treated for serious diseases.  But, in the case of these twin girls whose genetic material was altered while still in the sperm and egg stage, or early embryo stage, these girls were born genetically different from their parents.  They will now pass on to their children this genetic difference.  And here is the problem: scientists do not know the long-term consequences of such genetic editing or alteration for future generations. 


The article quotes from Notre Dame Law School Prof. O Carter Snead, a former presidential adviser on bioethics, who said the report was "deeply troubling, if true."  Snead continued, "No matter how well intentioned, this intervention is dangerous, unethical, and represents a perilous new moment in human history.  These children, and their children's children, have had their futures irrevocably changed without consent, ethical review or meaningful deliberations." 


Friends, if this claim can be substantiated, then the future of "test-tube babies" has risen greatly.  If we can genetically modify the material within an egg and sperm to eliminate the threat of AIDS, could not the same thing be done to prevent Down's Syndrome, or Parkinson's Disease, or leukemia, or, how about, cancers and heart disease?  I know, on the surface we would almost cheer such a happening.  But, here is the dilemma which is played-out in almost every sci-fi movie: for every good that is created, inevitably there is also something bad that is also created.  So, these twin girls do not have to worry about an AIDS infection, but perhaps that altered DNA is now subject to something greater than AIDS.  The scientific and ethical communities pose that question.  And it is a very real one.


What is happening, friends, is that we have taken another step toward playing "god" in our world.  The ultimate goal is to create the perfect world, filled with perfect people, living within a perfect environment.  And, in that process we do not need the presence of God any longer.  Man is the measure of all things; it is no longer God.  Let me phrase it this way: the more man knows, in other words, the more information and knowledge a man has, the less inclined that man is to relying upon God.  I believe this report is just another indicator pointing toward the soon return of the Lord Jesus. 


Meanwhile, the Ukraine is poised on the brink of war with Russia over the latter's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula a few years ago.  The civil war in Yemen seems to have no solution as Saudi Arabia and Iran seem to be using that small nation as the chessboard for who will dominate the Middle East.  The Taliban and Al-Qada have stepped up their attacks upon American troops and Afghan civilians in their attempt to regain control of Afghanistan.  The shaky cease-fire along the Israeli-Gazan border is still holding, but barely.  California seeks to recover from the most devastating wildfires in its history.  And, on America's southern border, pressures are mounting from those who seek to by-pass American law and enter into our country illegally.  I do not doubt that, among the thousands of people crowded into camps around Tijuana, and soon to be other places, there are stories of legitimate need.  These people need to be told that if they proceed with the proper paperwork and applications and follow the required protocols, that Americans will welcome them as they have millions of others down through the centuries. 


I was just reading again the other morning from Matthew 24 - Jesus's answer to the disciples' question as to when the end would come.  I would encourage each of you to read that chapter and then ponder the world in which we now live.  It is almost as if Jesus could peer that day into the heart of the 21st century.  Yes, He is coming!