Transgenics: A Perspective from the Interchurch Bioethics Council

Audrey Jarvis, Chris Downs, Grant Gillett, Graham O'Brien, Briar Peat, Barbara Peddie, Maree Pene, Deborah Stevens, Susan Werstein

The Interchurch Bioethics Council (formerly the Interchurch Commission on Genetic Engineering) was instituted by the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches to address Christian values as they relate to the use of genetic modification (GM) in New Zealand. The beliefs on which these values are based are described in the Preamble of our submission to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. These include a sense of reverence and humility in God as Creator and an awareness of our responsibility to/for the whole of creation.

Love is the underlying principle for Christians, and in expressing this love the Church has concerns for the humble and needy of this earth. Faith and hope are ever-renewable and powerful motivators for Christians. For the scientist, the company or the country working with GM technology, hope can guide and motivate so that decisions are made for good rather than evil. In this paper we discuss the issues of transgenics as they relate to these values.

Transgenics is the name given to the technology whereby genes from one species are inserted into the genome of another species. Any area of transgenics is a cause of considerable unease within the community, because it is seen as transcending naturally occurring species barriers in a way that does not work organically with natural processes and their inherent checks and balances, which have been in existence for millions of years. It makes the creation radically subject to the will and limited reasoning of mankind. Therefore for some it is seen as contravening the natural order of things, or going against the wishes of God, or the creative force that rules the universe. When the species from which the genes are derived is the human species, the concerns within the community are increased dramatically. For this reason in this paper we will focus on the transfer of human genes into other organisms.

The purposes of transgenics

In order to look at the ethical, spiritual and cultural dimensions of the transfer of human genes into other organisms, we first need to consider the purposes for which transgenic technology is used. The most widely practised transgenics is in medical research and development. By inserting specific human genes or DNA fragments into an animal such as a mouse, medical researchers can obtain information that is of prime importance in elucidating disease mechanisms and that will assist in attempts to diagnose and treat human disease. In other examples, drugs such as insulin are obtained by transferring the gene for the desired drug into yeast or bacteria, which are then used to produce large quantities of purified drug.

In consultations the Interchurch Bioethics Council held throughout New Zealand with church members and the general community, it appeared that the extent to which there are reservations about the spiritual, ethical and cultural issues in transgenic technology involving human genes is influenced by the purpose for which the research or development is being carried out.

Medical benefits of pharmaceuticals produced by transgenic technology (such as insulin) are potentially acceptable to most people, including Māori. Research into a gene encoding stomach cancer was undertaken in a joint project between a Bay of Plenty Māori family and the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the University of Otago. The isolation of a gene that causes a predisposition to stomach cancer has led to the identification and understanding of the condition, which would not have been possible otherwise. In this instance, GM was used to develop a diagnostic tool, and any proceeds from the outcomes of the research will be shared equally between the Māori family and the University of Otago. It is significant to note that there was full consultation between the researchers and those involved, specific health benefits will accrue to Māori, and any financial proceeds will be shared.

Out of our beliefs and our cultural context come our ethical values - our understanding of right and wrong. Ethics must reflect both belief and context in order to determine what we as a society deem acceptable on both individual and societal levels. Barbara Nicholas writes:

We could reduce ethics to utilitarian or pragmatic calculations of risks and benefits, but gene technology pushes us to examine the wider frameworks within which we construct our ethics - what does it mean to be human? how do we create meaning and value? against what 'horizon' do we understand the choices that we can now make? Gene technology is requiring that we construct a new ethics, building on what is recognised as of central importance to us, but taking into account the new possibilities that are now with us. [B. Nicholas. Gene technology and ethics: new wine in old wineskins. Otago Bioethics Report 1997, 6(3): 10-13.]

Our spiritual and cultural traditions can provide the basis on which to develop a Christian response to the challenges raised by new biotechnologies. From the perspective of Christian beliefs we have a role in caring for the creation that God has provided for us. The term 'stewardship' has often been used to describe our role in creation. From this concept several ethical principles can be derived.

1. Considerations should be other than economic, and should take into account the purposes of biotechnological endeavors, and the expected benefits in terms of the relief of human suffering and the well-being of the community.
2. Justice is central to Christian ethics and follows from the command to 'Love your neighbour as yourself'.
3. The concept of unconditional love is central to the Christian gospel. The Christian message has a particular emphasis on caring for the poor, the helpless and the vulnerable.
4. There is an understanding that we should 'Do good without doing harm', in contrast to a utilitarian approach where harm may be permissible if it is for the greater good.
5. There is also a principle of respect for the integrity of the earth and its creatures and restraint in our use of power to achieve what we think best without regard for traditional safeguards and mysteries (indicated by the Pākehā word 'sacred' and the Māori word 'tapu').

The practice of using animals for medical research raises questions about our responsibility to treat all species humanely. The dominion and stewardship we are said to hold over the created order is seen by Christians to include caring for the environment and for all God's creatures. The development of transgenic technology has allowed the introduction into animals of human genes and, in the process, human diseases, which may cause suffering and disease. The extent to which this is permissible in the framework of caring for the whole of both humanity and other living creatures is contentious.

As created beings we have a role of stewardship in caring for the creation that God has provided for us. As part of creation we also understand that we are connected with the created world, so that what affects this world will also affect humanity. Māori express this as the importance of protecting the mauri of all things, and by practising a holistic system of management termed kaitiakitanga, meaning the exercise of guardianship by the tangata whenua. The mauri of any living thing is its essence or fundamental integrity as a fellow creature with us in creation, and it is this essence that is locked into the genome of the species and in the individual in a way that protects its integrity.

On the other hand, we have a duty to use our God-given abilities for the good of humankind and "to have compassion for those in need and to help in the healing mission" [Matthew 9:35.]. If medical research is seen as directed at healing and at preventing disease and suffering, and if transgenic technology can be used for these purposes, it would seem to be in the realm of Christian activity.

It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the scientific risks of transgenics, except as far as they raise ethical concerns. However, the possibility of transgenics playing a role in the development of new viruses is against our sense of stewardship in safeguarding the well-being of our planet. Xenotransplantation, which is the transfer of living cells, organs or tissues from a non-human animal source into a human, is currently under discussion in the public arena.

The ethical, spiritual and cultural issues that are important in xenotransplantation include the risk of xenosis (a virus from the donor being changed as a result of its implantation into a human), whereby new viruses may be developed, leading to the creation of new human pathogens. These are also important in the reverse situation of the transfer of human genes into other organisms. There is a risk of reverse xenosis in transgenics, in that the transfer of human genes into other animals could similarly initiate the development of new viruses. These scientific concerns raise ethical issues related to our responsibility to care for the creation that God has provided for us.

Cultural dimensions

Culture can be seen as the contextual expression of beliefs particular to groups of people. Within New Zealand we have a multicultural population and a bicultural commitment through the Treaty of Waitangi, so our context is very diverse. To some extent we are determining a new cultural context that holds together the tension between progress and the diversity of beliefs. Some of the concepts we have expressed in terms of sanctity and stewardship would in Māoridom be seen as an awareness of mauri and a concern for kaitiakitanga. It is the responsibility of the Crown to listen to the traditional views of Māori groups concerning GM issues. The Treaty of Waitangi also protects the rights of non-Māori, and the cultural and spiritual values of both parties to the Treaty need to be respected.

In Māoritanga it is a cultural offence to mix genes of different species, constituting an affront to the mauri inherent in whakapapa. Genetic manipulations, especially between species or those involving the use of the human genome, are seen as culturally insensitive. Māori beliefs regarding transgenics are discussed in a paper elsewhere in this publication. Those involved in GM technology have a responsibility to have meaningful discussions with Māori and to work within parameters that take into account their cultural beliefs

In considering the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the whole New Zealand community, it is important to give recognition to the widespread intuitive unease about the transfer of human genes to other organisms, especially to higher animals. The extent of this concern is related to the purpose for which the work is being done, as discussed earlier. The nature of the organism and its position in the animal kingdom are also important factors. Thus it is possible to describe a continuum of organisms, with single-celled organisms such as viruses, bacteria and yeasts at one end and highly developed organisms with obvious similarities to humankind at the other end. The beliefs of an individual would tend to determine the position on this continuum at which the transfer of human genes is acceptable. For many, the point of acceptability might be found somewhere closer to mice and not as far along as primates. It seems that the closer we get to simple organisms the more applicable are the reductionist views according to which scientific reason tends to look at organisms as merely being complex biological mechanisms.

A significant issue here is whether the organism into which human genes are to be transferred is part of the human food chain. In recognition of scientific and cultural concerns, the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification recommended that, wherever possible, non-food animals, or animals less likely to find their way into the food chain, be used as bioreactors rather than animals that are a common source of food. There are important reasons for this stance.

Firstly, to many people the possibility of eating an animal into which human genes have been inserted is unacceptable for spiritual and cultural reasons. The term 'symbolic cannibalism' can be used to describe these concerns. From the Māori perspective, if human genes are inserted into an animal, the animal then has a particular relationship to humans. This is evident in the concern about what happens to discarded animals or animal offal in the Ruakura experiments related to the production in cows' milk of human proteins that may be useful in multiple sclerosis research. The claim that human genes are not in fact used, and that synthetic copies of human genes are inserted, does not allay these concerns. While such a claim may be scientifically accurate, opponents of transgenics see such claims made by the scientific community as being merely manipulative. What is at stake is the intermingling of that mauri which is distinctly human with that found in other creatures.

Secondly, there is concern that the human genes transmitted into animals may produce proteins that will be harmful if introduced into the human food chain. The role of prions in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an example where cannibalism through feeding and rearing practices affected the whole food chain. There is a perceived risk that bioreactors that are part of the food chain may become available for human consumption. This may happen inadvertently or by deliberate intent, perhaps for financial gain, and there is evidence in the literature that the sale of transgenic animals for food has occurred.

We do not know the full implications of these sentiments for public policy. However, the transfer of human genes into higher animals should only be approved where a very specific benefit is expected and after consultation in depth with the New Zealand community. Serious consideration should be given to restricting the use of organisms as bioreactors for producing human proteins to organisms that are not part of the food chain, in keeping with the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.

Spiritual dimensions

The term 'spiritual' relates to a set of beliefs held by an individual or group. In practice it is extremely difficult to separate cultural and spiritual dimensions in writing about this topic, and some of the comments that could be made under this heading have already been covered in our discussion of cultural input. In the context of Christian spirituality, the core belief is in the existence of God, who has revealed himself in scripture, tradition, reason and experience. Humanity was created 'in the image of God', being both unique and yet part of God's creation. That we are created in God's image provides purpose and meaning to our existence. It also creates special responsibilities to attend to the mysteries and symbolism of the faith, knowing that some things can be taken by faith to be important because we are not omniscient.

There is a general belief that the distinctions between species, although not absolute, are very deep-seated and represent major biological divides that define us as beings. This is supported by biblical references to species reproducing "according to their various kinds" [Gensisis1:11-12; Genesis 1:21.]. The extent of concern at the mixing of genes between human and other species by the transfer of human genes into other organisms is magnified as the extent of the transfer increases. It is reported that "the current trend is to insert more and more human DNA into an animal of another species" [NL Jones, L Bevington. Transgenics. In: JF Kilner, CC Hook, DB Uustal (Eds). Cutting-Edge Bioethics. William B Erdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, UK, 2002.]. The transfer of a single human gene into a non-food-chain animal to produce one particular protein is not as large a concern - although still significant - as the transfer of many genes.

The transfer of genes that cause phenotypic (observable) changes so that the organism shows human characteristics is completely unacceptable to many people, and is against Christian and Māori spirituality. At the extreme end of the spectrum is the production of hybrid organisms by the fusion of human and non-human gametes. This would be seen as an affront to Māori in terms of their concept of mauri and as problematic in terms of the Christian belief that humans are created in the image of God, which implies that humans are distinct from other animals. There is a common agreement that spiritual values require that the production of any human-non-human hybrid embryo should be prohibited by statute.

There is a sense of awe at the conservative pace of change in nature and the stability of inheritance which is the basis of embryonic development. These dynamics reflect a very delicate balance of many factors, and a slight modification may have a profound effect. There is a concern that transgenic studies and the potential modification of our own gene pool by transgenic engineering threaten inter-species boundaries in ways that compromise the distinctiveness on which much of our thought and attitudes are based. Many people believe that roots, origins or lineages have their own integrity and contain the basis of our belonging to families, groups, societies, and indeed our own history. We have a responsibility to keep the treasure/taonga we have been given or inherited intact for future generations.

Our being and all of creation are grounded in God. Traditionally that grounding is seen to be in the fact that we are called into being by God, and this is related to the creating and sustaining activity of God through Christ. For Māori the Creator plays an active part in our world, and our spiritual values are acknowledged through our recognition of the many atua (gods) in our realm. Māori perceive the environment in a holistic way and see themselves as an intrinsic element of that environment. The holistic approach can achieve a balance and harmony conducive to abundant life. The harmful effects of physical wrongdoings and spiritual transgressions might cause problems among their people now and in future generations.

Christians can echo many of these sentiments in respecting the hand of God and the limitations of human knowledge. Within this context we need to consider what types of action and intervention in our world are consistent with the vocation of humanity, and the Church in particular, to be faithful stewards of that which we have received in trust.

[ Contents | Next essay ]