Crosslink column
The Benefits of gene technoology are real, but who will get them?
By Richard Davis
Research Executive Officer
The Public Questions Committee
It is a cliché that technology can be used for good or ill and while this may not be true of nuclear weapons it may well be true of advances in gene technology. The recent announcement from the Human Genome Project that they have mapped the human gene is great news for science, but whether the technology will be driven by profit or for the benefit of all, rather than biotechnology companies remains to be seen.
What values do you think should guide the development of this technology? Ethicists, including those from churches, are trying to grapple with this question, something that can be overlooked in the fast-paced scientific world. If the values that guide the technology are to be from the community, and not top-down, then we need to understand, to the best of ability, what the benefits and risks of new technology will be.
The possible benefits of mapping the Human Genome include DNA forensics, being able to catch criminals and convict them with greater certainty. But will we convict the wrong people with greater certainty too? We may be able relieve symptoms of debilitating diseases through better drugs. There may be benefits in detecting the harmful nature of toxins and radiation on human beings, leading to safer technology.
However, there is a potential downside to GE as its critics have pointed out. Are we messing about things that we do not fully understand? Are we playing God? There are many such questions and no easy answers. One feels that gene science is building a micro-sized Tower of Babel, whereby we can fully understand the blueprint for human life.
What should the churches approach to these innovations be? As followers of Jesus we should be ensuring that people get enough food and excellent health care. Some genetic researchers believe that GE technology can be used for the creation of more food, which is more nutritious and medicines that relive suffering. These are goals that the church should support. Already gene technology is being used to supply insulin for diabetics; we should encourage such uses of this technology.
To assist the churches grapple with these questions the churches have just agreed to have an Inter-Church Commission on Genetic Engineering. This initiative will develop resources to help us understand the complexities of the new science and make an ethically informed response. One of the first events will be a forum on 25 August 2000, organised by Capital City Forum. Entitled "Will the ENZ Justify the Genes?" the forum will examine two of the most difficult areas for those concerned with the use of the gene technology in Aotearoa. The ethics of the technology, and issues raised by the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori concerns. For details please contact the PQ office or follow the website at:
www.socialissues.godzone.net.nz/ccf