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‘Human dignity’ at core of bioethics By Michelle Martin Only when doctors and scientists consider the dignity of every human being can doctors and scientists tap the potential of the genetics revolution and avoid its pitfalls, Cardinal George told members of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. All humans are made in the image of God, the cardinal said, from the moment of conception. Cardinal George delivered his remarks, “Christian Vision for Moral Decisions in Bioethics,” July 21 at the organization’s annual conference at Trinity International University in Deerfield. “Our increasing knowledge and ability to transcend physical restraints also hold the potential for offenses against human dignity,” the cardinal said, pointing to already existing practices such as in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination, in which what some call “spare embryos” are created and often destroyed. The cardinal acknowledged the good that can come of therapeutic uses of genetic engineering—that is, creating genetic solutions to diseases and other disorders. But an essential difference exists between using genetic engineering to cure disease and using it to enhance traits people see as good, like beauty and intelligence. The difference might not be readily apparent to everybody, Cardinal George said. But the possibility of manipulating genetic material to create the kind of child parents want may make it easier for parents to look on their children as products rather than people, he said. “Additionally, while improved pre-natal genetic testing and therapies have the potential to enhance life, such tests will increasingly be the occasions for both voluntary and coerced abortions, based on a misguided biological reductionism,” he said. Instead, Cardinal George advocated a “Christian anthropology,” based on openness to all people and an understanding that science must serve the good of all, not the goals of a few individuals. When people forget about the dignity of every human being, however genetically flawed, and pursue only their own purposes, then they can feel justified in everything from disposing of human embryos to using genetic information to create a more desirable child. Only by being open to the humanity of every individual, and embracing a Christian ethic for the good of all, can society avoid the traps of labeling some individuals unworthy of life, the cardinal said. “This century has seen graphically what happens when the individual right to life is conditioned by whether or not you are wanted, by a party, or a government, or your parents,” he said. Ethicists already warn of “genetic profiling,” and such a climate could lead to an underclass of “genetically flawed undesirables,” unable to get health insurance or employment. “In such a hostile climate, the specters of assisted suicide and positive euthanasia haunt those showing even the first signs of genetic diseases that are temporary, curable or manageable,” Cardinal George said. “Finally, in this hostile climate, it is not inconceivable that even those who are sick or disabled because of pathogens or accident will be held genetically responsible for their disorders and considered unnecessary burdens on the social order, to be marginalized, and in all probability, eliminated.” The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity is an international
not-for-profit foundation based at Trinity International University,
an evangelical Christian institution in Bannockburn. The conference
was co-sponsored by pro-life groups and organizations such as
Christian Medical & Dental Society, the Christian Legal Society
and Nurses Christian Fellowship.
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