Embryo technology has been very successful in producing children; five thousand children are born through infertility treatment every year. Infertility treatment gives infertile couples a new way to have children, they do not have to adopt someone else’s’ child, they can have their own.
ii) Explain Christian Attitudes, And the Attitudes Of One Other Religion, To These Treatments.
Different religions differ in opinions on infertility treatment some parts of different religion may have a different opinion on embryo technologies.
In Christianity, there is a difference in attitudes towards infertility treatment because the Roman Catholic Church believes that God gives life and no one has a right to children. Catholics are compassionate towards couples who cannot have children, they only believe in treatments, which do not threaten a human life. A reason why they have this attitude towards fertility treatment is that, IVF causes some eggs to be thrown away or to be sent away for scientists to experiment on which is similar to aborting a child. Another reason for the Roman Catholic Church believing embryo technology is incorrect is that they believe children have the right to know their natural parents. All embryo technology include the egg and sperm being fertilised without the parents having sex, fertilisation outside of the womb is frowned upon for Catholics.
The reason there is a difference in Christian beliefs on infertility treatment is that Jesus did not directly teach on the issue so there is controversy on what they should think.
Other Christians believe IVF and AIH are acceptable mainly because, it uses technology to help couples have children, it also uses egg and sperm form the wife. The embryos that are not used are not foetuses so this can be justified by the doctrine of double effect, which means they set out to make children for couples who do not have children, the aim is not to kill embryos.
In Islam most Muslims believe IVF and AIH are acceptable for couples that are having fertility problems, the main reason why they accept these is that, is that the treatment shows the great strides the world has made in medicine. They mainly believe these embryo technologies are good because, both parents are used to fertilise and they are married. The embryos that are not used are not foetuses so destroying them is justifiable, they are not yet developed babies. A high number of Islamic lawyers have deemed all other methods of embryo technologies because they think a child has the right to know its parents they are also very similar to adoption, which is not allowed in Islam.
iii) Explain Why Religious People May Have Problems With Transplant Surgery
Transplant Surgery involves transferring a tissue or an organ from one person/mammal to another or from one part of the body to another in the same person. Although transplant surgery is popular, it is very dangerous; it introduces health risks include, pneumonia and other infectious diseases, excessive bleeding. There are many types of transplant surgery these include, kidney transplants, liver transplants, heart transplant and lung transplants. Transplant surgery is usually used because the organ in the person who needs surgery is beyond repair, so a new one is needed.
Some Christians oppose transplant surgery that are donated from dead bodies but they accept when they are donated from living relatives, they believe this because the Christian belief is that it the main organs such as the heart are an elaborate component of someone created by God. Organs taken from the dead and transferred into a person who needs it to continue living is perceived as playing the role of God, which is wrong.
A small fraction of Christians does not believe transplant surgery is unacceptable, because it can ignore ‘the sanctity of life’, which is also called ‘the right to be killed’. Transplant surgery is also thought to be ‘playing god’. Some Christians also agree with the non – religious argument to transplant surgery, which is we do not have enough information to know the long term effects and it produces effects that would be undeviating, so if there were undesired effects, you would be unable to change it back. Transplant surgery also gives scientists too much influence on genetically engineer any person to whatever they want, transplant surgery also treats humans similar to plants, it does not give them rights.
Some Muslims who disagree with transplant surgery. Allah is the main reason why they believe this, is because God created the DNA of each person and nobody apart from him can alter the DNA. Islam believes embryo research is similar to abortion, abortion is frowned upon in Islam because it is their belief that life begins at fertilisation. Islamic people also believe playing god if an inexcusable offence.
The responses in each religion are all very comparable; they all believe the Act of playing God is an unforgivable sin and they all agree with the sanctity of life.
b) ‘Only God Has The Right To Interfere With Our Genes’ f Do You Agree? Give Reasons For Your Opinion, Showing You Have Considered Another Point Of View. In Your Own Answer You Should Refer To Religious Teaching?
Recently, cloning has been used to grow healthy cells to replace faulty ones; they are also used to cure disease. This includes producing stem cells from embryos created for IVF but remain unused, from bone marrow or blood. The stem cells produce are then refined to allow them to multiply and a scientist is able to transfer them into the diseased cells to cure the disease.
Some Christians believe that Jesus demonstrated that all Christians should do all in their power to cure disease. Christians also believe the reason why humans were created was to explore methods of how to improve human life, and that drug research is similar to genetic research. Embryos cannot be considered as a prospective human until their age reaches fourteen days. Genetic engineering also offers the chance for humans to cure otherwise incurable diseases. The use of embryos in stem cell research would later be changed to adult cells, using adult cells is easier. Genetic engineering is being used in other countries, this means it is available to people who can afford the travel and treatment costs.
Other Christians think there is a comparable variation between producing cells and making people. Using science to create people rather than sex between parents is unethical because it would overtake Gods position, but they see creating cells as cooperating with God.
Other people think that Genetic engineering is unacceptable because we do not yet have enough information on long – term effects. All effects are permanent so they would not be able to be reversed if the outcome of the surgery in caused undesirable effects. Some people also believe that it places the lives of the whole world on scientists, which is unethical.
I believe genetic engineering is a good thing because, I think we should do all we can to prevent diseases, even if it means using some unethical methods.