US
doctors in Mexico recently helped Jordanian parents give birth to a
baby boy. The fact that three nations were involved in this event is not
what's
making news today. It's the fact that three parents were.
The mother carries a genetic condition that usually causes the child to
die within two to three years. The couple has already suffered four
miscarriages as well as the death of two children. This time, doctors
combined the DNA from the mother's egg with healthy mitochondria from a
donor egg, creating a healthy new egg they fertilized with the father's
sperm. The result is a baby with 0.1 percent of the donor's DNA but
without the genetic defect that would have killed the child.
Technology is not only making possible designer eggs, but designer sperm as well. For instance, the
London Sperm Bank
has released a mobile app that lets women filter potential sperm donors
based on ethnicity, occupation, personality type, eye color, etc. Women
can also create an alert that will notify them when a donor with their
preferred characteristics becomes available.
Doctors can already warn prospective parents if they are carriers of
genes that cause Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, sickle
cell disease, Tay-Sachs, and other disorders. We can imagine a day when
potential mates are chosen for their genetic capacities and reproductive
potential.
Millions of so-called "test tube" babies have been conceived through
in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Scientists can test embryos for a variety
of diseases, then implant healthy embryos and freeze or discard the
rest. Soon they may be able to test for capacities such as intelligence
and body type.
The ethical implications of "customized babies" are staggering.
One: If you believe life begins when the sperm and egg
are united (as I do), you view embryos created in laboratories as
humans. Destroying or freezing such lives because of diseases or
capacities is a momentous moral line.
Two: The costs and necessary laboratory conditions
associated with IVF and genetic testing are significant. As a result,
wealthier couples and countries will be able to customize their
children; poorer cultures will not. The gap between the rich and the
poor will widen significantly.
Three: The law of unintended consequences is
significantly relevant to this issue. What would a world without Down
syndrome children be like? How will present medical decisions impact
future generations? Is this "playing God"?
My personal belief is that IVF is wonderful technology for enabling
infertile couples to have children. However, I believe such couples
should implant every viable embryo they create. And I believe we should
refuse the temptation to use IVF and/or genetic technology to improve
the aptitudes and capacities of children.
God alone is the Creator and giver of life. We can join David in
proclaiming to him, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made" (Psalm 139:14). Max Lucado is right: "You weren't an accident. You
weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were
deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on
the Earth by the Master Craftsman."
When last did you thank your Maker for your life and life eternal?
Note: I will be speaking on my latest book,
State of Our Nation: 7 Critical Issues, at the Dallas Arboretum on October 4 at 7 PM. Cost is $10 and includes a free signed copy of the book. Click
here to learn more and to register. I hope to see you there.
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