ACTing before It's Too Late: Cloning & Being Human
For the past few years, I have been telling you about
how cloning technology threatens our human dignity --
indeed, how it has the potential to redefine what it
means to be human.
In all of this, I've spoke of human cloning in the
future tense. Well, if reports out of Massachusetts
are to be believed, the future is already here.
With the war in Afghanistan drawing attention away
from its actions, Advanced Cell Technology of
Worchester, Massachusetts, announced on Saturday that
it had cloned a human embryo. It had done so for the
purpose of "mining" human stem cells to be used in
the treatment of diseases.
The company denied that it intends to clone human
beings, that is, to produce babies. Rather, it told
the press that its goals are to "make lifesaving
therapies for a wide range of human disease
conditions." And, one might add, make a healthy
profit in the process.
But regardless of its stated intentions, cloning
proponents see the company's actions as bringing us
an important step closer to cloning human beings.
Johnnie Rennie, editor-in-chief of Scientific
American, called Advanced Cell's work an "amazing
accomplishment," and something that people once
thought impossible.
Advanced Cell Technology's actions prompted other
responses, as well. Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle called the news "disconcerting." His
colleague Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary
committee, told NBC that he found the reports to be
"very, very troubling." He added that "I think most
of the Congress would."
But this never would have happened if the Senate had
acted swiftly to pass the bill authored by Sen. Sam
Brownback of Kansas, which bans all human cloning.
The House passed a parallel bill earlier this year by
a sweeping majority that included both pro-life and
pro-choice members. I hope now that the Brownback
bill (S. 790) -- which has the support of the
President -- will become law.
Cloning transforms us from persons created in the
image of God into manufactured commodities, and, in
the process extinguishes our humanity. C. S. Lewis
warned us about the illusory promises of
biotechnology in his essay, "The Abolition of Man."
Lewis wrote, "If man chooses to treat himself as raw
material, raw material he will be: not raw material
to be manipulated, as he fondly imagined, by himself,
but [by] his dehumanized conditioners."
Christians have known about the threat posed by
cloning for five years. Yet, in my travels across the
country, I've sensed very little interest in the
issue. This apathy has to end now. We can no longer
afford to sit on our hands while biotech companies,
motivated solely by the bottom line, threaten our
humanity.
Pro-life Christians need to wake up to the broader
biotech agenda. This is why we have formed the
Council for Biotechnology Policy, directed by leading
Christian bioethicist and Wilberforce Forum Dean,
Nigel Cameron. And we have joined with other groups -
- both liberal and conservative -- in this cause.
But the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is the
voice of millions of Christians raised in opposition.
Please, call Senator Daschle's office in the Capitol,
and your senators, to urge support for Senator
Brownback's bill, S. 790. It would be an outrage if
the Senate adjourned without acting.
For more information:
The Council for Biotechnology Policy has a web page
accessible through <http://www.wilberforce.org>
You can sign up for periodic e-mail alerts on biotech
issues and a monthly e-mail update from the Council
by sending an e-mail to
<mailto:biotechpolicy@wilberforce.org>.
For a helpful introduction to bioethics, we recommend
Gilbert Meilaender's BIOETHICS: A PRIMER FOR CHRISTIANS
(Eerdmans 1996), available at the BreakPoint Store at Parable.com:
<http://www.parable.com/breakpoint/item.asp?sku=0802842348>
Current status on S. 790 is available here:
<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:s.00790:>
You can contact your senators through their websites:
<http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm>
Copyright © 2001 Prison Fellowship Ministries
POWRÓT