Human Dignity in the Biotech Century: A Christian Vision for Public Policy

by Charles W. Colson, Nigel M. de S. Cameron

Overview

What will be the greatest moral challenge facing our society throughout this century? Are we ready to face it? Editors Charles W. Colson and Nigel M. de S. Cameron, along with a panel of expert contributors, make the case in this book that the greatest watershed debates of the twenty-first century concerning ethics and public policy will surround the issue of biotechnology. In twelve essays they address several of the legal and ethical challenges before us: embryo research, stem cell research, cloning, genetic engineering, gene therapy, pharmacogenomics, cybernetics, nanotechnology and, of course, abortion. Contributors include

• William L. Saunders, J. D., Family Research Council
• Christopher Hook, M.D., The Mayo Clinic
• Henk Jochemsen, Ph.D., Free University of Amsterdam
• David A. Prentice, Ph.D., Indiana State University
• Nathan A. Adams IV, Ph.D., J.D., Christian Legal Society
• David Stevens, M.D., Christian Medical Association
• Paige Comstock Cunningham, J. D., Americans United for Life
• C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
• Richard Doerflinger, M.A., Secretariat for Pro-life, National Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Wesley J. Smith, J.D., International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assistend Suicide

Leaders in their fields, these contributors point out the crucial role Christians can and should play in the public square. The well-informed and forward-looking perspectives they present will help us prepare for the challenges ahead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830827831
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	07/07/2004
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Charles W. Colson is the founder of Prison Fellowship and chairman of the Wilberforce Forum.

Table of Contents

Preface - Charles W. Colson and Nigel M. de S. Cameron
Introduction: Can We Prevent the "Abolition of Man"? C. S. Lewis's Challenge to the Twenty-first Century - Charles W. Colson
1. Christian Vision for the Biotech Century: Toward a Strategy - Nigel M. de S. Cameron
2. The Biotech Revolution: Major Issues in the Biosciences - David A. Prentice, Ph.D.
3. The New Genetics and the Dignity of Humankind - C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.
4. Techno Sapiens: Nanotechnology, Cybernetics, Transhumanism and the Remaking of Humankind - C. Christopher Hook, M.D.
5. Promise and Peril: Clinical Implications of the New Genetics - David Stevens, M.D.
6. The Human Embryo Debate - William L. Saunders, J.D.
7. Learning from Our Mistakes: The Pro-life Cause and the New Bioethics - Paige Comstock Cunningham, J. D.
8. An Unnatural Assault on Natural Law: Regulating Biotechnology Using a Just Research Theory - Nathan A. Adams IV, Ph.D., J.D.
9. Lessons from the Cloning Debate: The Need for a Secular Approach - Wesley J. Smith, J.D.
10. Biotech and Public Policy: The European Debate - Henk Jochemsen, Ph.D.
11. Confronting Technology at the Beginning of Life: A Morally Grounded Policy Agenda for th e United States - Richard Doerflinger, M.A.
Appendix: The Sanctity of Life in a Brave New World: A Manifesto on Biotechnology and Human Dignity
Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Each article is well-referenced and hence quite helpful in pointing readers to a wealth of published material in academic journals and books, popular literature and news, and various academic and popular websites."

Jason T. Eberl for American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

"This collection gathers essays from top bioethics thinkers and activists. Pick among topics such as learning from our mistakes, new technology, genetics, and transhumanism. Get ready for the science fiction realities of the 21st century, and get involved!"

Paige C. Cunningham

"This collection gathers essays from top bioethics thinkers and activists. Pick among topics such as learning from our mistakes, new technology, genetics, and transhumanism. Get ready for the science fiction realities of the 21st century, and get involved!"

Paige C. Cunningham, Dignitas, Winter 2009

"This volume comprises essays from the top thinkers and activists in the field on topics like learning from past mistakes, new technology, genetics, and transhumanism. Get ready for the science fiction realities of the 21st century, and get involved."

Paige C. Cunningham, Christianity Today, November 2009

From the Publisher

This essay collection provides a worthwhile, if somewhat uneven, selection of conservative Christian thought about biotechnology and its ethical and legal implications. Colson and Cameron assemble a reliable team of contributors, weighted more towards organizational leaders and lobbyists than academics. In general, subtlety is not a strong point here. Colson characterizes therapeutic use of embryonic stem cells as "high-tech cannibalism," a practice that "will lead inevitably to the abolition of humankind and the ultimate end of Western civilization as we know it." Yet some other contributors (including Paige Comstock Cunningham, a former president of Americans United for Life) reach out to a wider audience, recognizing that on issues of cloning and genetic engineering, pro-life conservatives may find unexpected allies among pro-choice advocates and Greens, who share their suspicions of eugenics and biotech capitalism. Other highlights include David Prentice's calculations of the feasibility of "therapeutic" cloning for major diseases such as diabetes and Christopher Hook's discussion of "transhumanism," using cybernetics and nanotechnology to enhance human potential. Overall, the volume cannot quite deliver on the promise of its subtitle: there is not enough of a coherent theological framework here to constitute a Christian vision for public policy. But there are certainly some promising suggestions for Christian public advocacy. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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