Saturday, March 1, 1997

Yes, we can do it, but should we do it?

By MICHAEL O'CONNOR

Abilene Reporter-News

The cloning of an adult sheep in Scotland has prompted a worldwide discussion of ethics. As well it should.

In one of my ethics classes in graduate school, our working short definition for ethics was "What we ought to do." We are capable of much, but the question the ethicist forces us to answer is, Should we be doing whatever it is we are contemplating doing.

Far too often we fail to struggle sufficiently with the question. And often, while some segments of society are struggling with the question, other segments simply accept the concept that because we can we ought to and proceed merrily on. By the time the rest of society comes to a conclusion from its struggle, the question is moot.

Fortunately the ability to successfully clone a human is still a few years off, but the question of whether we should be doing this kind of experimentation seems to have already been settled. We can, so we are.

Still, knowing that the ability to clone humans is now more than just the stuff of science fiction scares many of us. The possibilities are staggering. We could begin to produce human beings solely to provide replacement parts. We could modify their genetic codes to eliminate a host of diseases. We could produce better humans.

Some these actions could be beneficial. But we recognize that much evil can come of this technology. Would we really devalue human life to the point that we would consider it proper to make humans solely for their organ harvest potential. Could a Hitler or Stalin or Gaddafi or Hussein find ways of cloning themselves?

Many Christian ethicists operate from a specific assumption about the nature of humanity. Unlike optimists of the past, they don't subscribe to the idea that humans are inherently good, and given the opportunity, will choose the best. They understand that, in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt ... "

A pessimistic view? Perhaps. But accurate. One thing Bosnia and South Africa have taught us is that attempted genocide is not an event of the long lost past. For every high in human behavior, we can find a corresponding low. As the debate over cloning continues, I hope we keep a view of the biblical truth of human sin in the discussions of what we ought to do.

Michael O'Connor is Night City Editor for the Abilene Reporter-News and is an ordained United Methodist minister.