Human Genome

THE HUMAN GENOME

"Today we are learning the language in which God created life" announced President Clinton on Monday 26th June, 2000.

He was, you may recall, responding to the announcement by two rival groups of scientists of their first "working draft" of the human genome.

Francis Collins, the Director of the Human Genome Project, who is also a practising Christian, remarked "I experience a sense of awe at the realisation that humanity now knows something only God knew before".

The Daily Telegraph said "All human life is here" and that the draft was the final publication of "the Book of Life".

However, the "Church Times" was more cautious in its reporting and avoided the use of religious language. In fact, its editorial compared the scientific breakthrough to that of splitting the atom, "since its potential for benefit and for harm come in equal measure".

What then is this "working draft", of the human genome, and what is its perceived benefit and harm from a Christian point of view?

First of all, what is a human genome?

In recent years we have learned that all biological life is made up of four fairly simple chemicals which form a code which, when arranged in various permutations, gives the instructions that make up a living being.

In the nucleus of every human cell, these four bases occur three thousand million times, threaded on 23 different chromosomes in different, but specific sequences.

That is a human genome.

If we have known that, what then was all the fuss about?

We have also known that a single error in some parts of the sequence may lead to serious diseases such as haemophilia or cystic fibrosis. It is also now beginning to emerge that genetic factors may contribute to more common disorders such as asthma, diabetes and several cancers. Therefore, to know more about the function of each group or sequence of bases would assist in our understanding of an increasing range of diseases.

The discovery of the ordering of these three thousand million in a rough draft is therefore a major breakthrough in our knowledge and that is why there has been so much fuss.

Obviously, this is only the beginning of our knowledge of what each section does, and how errors affect the development and working of the body.

However, it will revolutionise medicine as we unravel how diseases can be prevented or corrected in the years ahead.

A certain amount is already known about the genetic causes of disease. Genetic tests can be used to diagnose particular diseases such as muscular dystrophy in affected individuals. They can also be used to look for the presence of diseased genes in healthy people.

For example, a person whose parent has a hereditary condition such as Huntingtons Disease, can be tested to see whether or not he or she has inherited the disease.

The same applies to some forms of cancer, though in this case those who inherit the predisposing gene do not have an absolute certainty of developing the disease but a raised chance of doing so.

The opportunity to increase our knowledge of the human genome in the future has many benefits.

It can facilitate more accurate diagnosis and lead to improved health care.

It can enable people to plan their lives if they know what is in store for them, healthwise, around the corner.

It can assist the development of more effective medicines based on increased knowledge of how the human body functions.

It may become possible to identify people at risk before the symptoms develop to allow them to take preventative measures.

It may also ultimately enable medical treatment to be tailored to the individual genetic profile, thereby eliminating the chances of side-effects.

However, what frightens most people is the prospect of so-called "designer babies" in the distant future. As our understanding of general characteristics, such as height and intelligence increases, it might become possible to screen fertilised eggs, or even sperm and unfertilised eggs, for the presence or absence of genes of desirable or undesirable characteristics.

What then is the Christian response to this new discovery?

Firstly, the truth needs to be told. The genetic code is part of God's work. He created it and, to Christians, the task of unravelling it is simply that of discovering what he has made.

Secondly, Christianity is based upon an understanding of the value of the individual. Throughout Scripture we see how God cares for and works through individuals.

The creation stories in Genesis show that we are each created in God's image. God is spirit, he has no genetic code. Being in his image means we are much more than the sum of our genes.

They can perhaps be regarded as "the dust of the earth" into which God breathed to make us the "living beings" that we are. Our genes are given to us so that we may live to serve him with whatever genetic make-up we have.

Being made in his image gives us free will and the ability to make choices as did Adam and Eve in the garden. Our genetic make-up may determine which choices we find hard, but that does not deprive us of the opportunity (and responsibility) to choose good rather than the evil. To assume that we are "nothing but" our genes takes away from the dignity inherent in one made in the image of God.

Thirdly, Christianity emphasises the value of the family. It is the place where children can be nurtured and valued for themselves.

Given that we share our genes with other members of our family, relationships are going to be important as genetic testing becomes more widespread. Issues of confidentiality and information sharing have to be addressed.

Fourthly, these discoveries pose challenges to justice. The Bible constantly stresses our duty to care for the disadvantaged. We need therefore to be aware of our responsibility to protect the "genetically weak" with regard to employment, life insurance and so on as well as from adverse public opinion.

On the other hand, insurance companies will also need protection from unscrupulous individuals seeking unfair gain by taking out large policies knowing they have a short life expectancy.

A further moral question concerns the equality of access to these new discoveries,

At present, the NHS can provide much of what is available, but as more tests are developed, we must guard against their being available only to those who can afford them.

As with so many new developments, the mapping of the human genome has great potential for good, but also the possibility of serious misuse. As Christians we have a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that wrong does not triumph and should pray for God's wisdom to know how best to harness the good while protecting the vulnerable.