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When Judaism Meets Science
Posts Tagged ‘germline editing’
Judaism and the Ethical Challenges of Gene Editing
Credit: National Inst. of Health
Introduction
The manipulation of our genes is a new and rapidly developing process for addressing genetic disorders of the kind we have discussed in “Jews and Genetic Disorders.” What if medical science could develop safe and effective procedures to eliminate variant (or other unwanted) genes from our bodies and replace them with normal (or other more desired, if not objectively better) genes? Engaging with gene-altering technology raises a host of practical questions each and all of which also invoke ethical considerations. A Venn diagram which included areas at least for medical, political, economic, and ethical areas of concern might illustrate the general complexity of the matter, but we need more than a picture to get to the nits and grits of the subject.
Jews may have a unique perspective from which to begin our investigation. We have been talking about health matters for over 2,500 years, and have, based on our religious texts and traditions, and our experience, developed a useful orientation, or, perhaps better, a useful conversation for considering the challenges of human gene editing.
As we have discussed elsewhere with respect to vaccinations, the origin of any Jewish ethical approach has its beginnings at the very start of the Jewish Peoples’ origin story. We don’t have to go all the way back to the pre-creation state of chaos, just to the first report of the creation of humankind. There we are told that humans were created by a Supreme Being and made b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s own image. (Gen. 1:27.) Rabbi Danny Nevins, of the Jewish Theological Seminary, acknowledges that this phrase is ambiguous. Moving beyond any notion of physical similarity, though, Rabbi Nevins holds that it at least “implies that humanity has God-like qualities and therefore great responsibilities.”
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Cong. Agudat Achim Explores “When Judaism Meets Science”
Cong. Agudat Achim (“CAA”) is a full service, egalitarian, and participatory congregation based in Schenectady, New York. For over 120 years, it has identified with the Conservative movement.
In late March, 2021, as part of CAA’s series on Judaism and science, three members of the congregations, each of whom also happens to be a scientist, interviewed your blogmaster, Roger Price, about various aspects of the interplay of Judaism and science. The interviewers were Andrew Gavens, a materials engineer, Advisor at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, and past president of CAA, Jay Yablon, a theoretical physicist at Einstein Centre for Local–Realistic Physics, patent lawyer, and also a past president of CAA, and Susan Sharfstein, a biochemical engineer and professor of nanobioscience at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Steven Jarrett, a retired physician and former Medical Director for the Capital District Regional Office of the NYS-DOH, also submitted questions.
The principal topics covered over the course of about one hour and twenty–five minutes include the motivation for and the process regarding writing “When Judaism Meets Science,” ethical issues associated with CRISPR technology and gene and germline editing, Moses as an author or, alternatively, a scientist, what, if anything, science says about God and the writing of the Torah, the historical accuracy of the Passover and Exodus stories, how, if at all, the Torah and science agree on the creation of the universe and humankind, and, finally, how Judaism and science inform each other regarding artificial intelligence, possible life on exoplanets, and exotheology. The full discussion can be accessed on YouTube by clicking here. Introductions begin at the 2:28 mark. Enjoy.