Genetics and Ethics

Dr Colin Connolly is one of the top geneticists and an advisor to H M Government.  But more to the point he is an extremely witty and entertaining speaker who exudes enthusiasm when sharing his vast knowledge with others.  His talk started off with a five-star brief survey of our present knowledge of molecular biology and genetics.  The human brain we are told has the equivalent of a 100 gigabyte capacity, the same as a thousand million desktop computers and only using 75 watts of power.  He explained the relationship between DNA, RNA, genes and chromosomes and reminded us that we all share the same ‘operating system’ with life as a whole both animals and plants. 

He then went on to explain how genetic engineering was undertaken namely by ‘cutting and pasting’ DNA and gave examples of its benefits and pitfalls.  The potential for healing genetic diseases was very promising but the knowledge can also be misused by those who flout their responsibilities and disregard ethics.  He pointed out as an example the dangers of screening for the autism gene and how if all potentially autistic foetuses in the past had been aborted society would have been denied such geniuses such as Einstein and Newton and many others who have made great contributions both in the arts and science.  He reminded us of various disastrous eugenic experiments in history of which mankind is ashamed. 

He then touched on the problem of holding an individual responsible for actions resulting from genetic make-up whilst at the same time respecting a person’s free will.  Also mentioned was the controversial practice of conceiving a second child to provide genetic material for a sick sibling.  He expressed his wish that theologians should be better acquainted with science before making a stand on a moral issue.  He quoted a recent debate in the House of Lords where some bishops were opposing the recent stem cell research bill without realising that stem cells can now be extracted from skin without the need to use a foetus or embryo tissue. 

The discussion which followed covered such topics as genetically modifying plants for food, the ethics of abortion and the rights of an unborn child, the debate about when in man’s evolution he acquired a soul and the ethics of administering drugs to a terminally ill patient. 

The meeting ended with a heartfelt vote of thanks given to both Dr Connolly for his most entertaining and thought-provoking talk and to Pauline Moyse who had invited him to Fleet.  Dr Connolly responded by offering to come again in the autumn, an offer that was enthusiastically accepted. 

Richard Dexter

This entry was posted on 02/04/2009 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Ethics, Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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