Sárospataki Füzetek 14. (2010)
2010 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Rusthoven, James J.: Mit jelent embernek lenni a technika korában? Református keresztyén megközelítés.
Rusthoven. James J. To my understanding of a biblical covenantal ethic, this means that human embryos should be treated as developmentally vulnerable human beings, each valued for their created intent of being nurtured toward birth and toward developing a full relationship with God and fellow human beings. This nurturing is intended to be covenantal and carries the obligation to care for the needs of the developmentally vulnerable among us. Consequences of a biblical Covenantal Ethic Promoting such a covenantal ethic for biomedical ethics has risks in our culture. It calls into question the technology of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a globally accepted reproductive option in many communities including Christian communities. IVF has been an incomplete and inefficient technology, requiring the use of multiple embryos to improve the chances of successful pregnancy with just one attempt. This use of multiple embryos has been driven not only by the medical risks of repeated hormonal treatments to prepare the uterus for implantation but even more by the high cost of each attempt (about $10,000US). This powerful economic incentive has left society with excess embryos that in turn has led to the ethical concerns about their future if they are not used for future attempts to have more children. Promoting a covenantal ethic is also risky because it does not consider the immediate needs and demands of those with debilitating diseases to be ethically superior to preserving human embryos and finding other ways to develop treatments for their diseases. As Christ said of the poor, human diseases will always be with us. The pace of medical research should not be driven by the immediate needs of the living alone if unethical action is the result. Clearly, we must search for new treatments and even cures for diseases in a world broken by disease. However, short cuts should not be taken if basic ethical norms are violated. For Christians, such norms need to be identified and championed through prayerful and thoughtful reflection on what Scripture teaches us about our humanness. I think a biblical covenantal ethic also gives clarity to reflections about whether or not human embryos or embryoids produced in the laboratory should be considered fully human. To my reflections, such laboratory constructs are not human beings. Just because a cell can be manipulated so that it has the potential to implant in a uterus and become an infant does not make that cell a human being. Genetically, embryoids reflect the genetic composition of the human adult from which the nucleus of the construct was derived. Laboratory manipulations that force such embryoids to take on different physical and physiological features and functions do not bestow humanness to such entities. On the other hand, if one believes in the ontic value of human beings at all levels of development, an embryo produced by the union of sperm and egg, even if in the laboratory, should be considered to be a vulnerable human being , requiring care and nurturing. Such a view would encourage policies that require only single embryos for implantation during in vitro fertilization procedures, despite the expense of the procedures. Epilogue We live in a post-modern age where the search for certainty in science, love, and war has been replaced by uncertainty that manifests as the acceptance of all 64 SÁROSPATAKI FÜZETEK
