Monday, August 10, 2009

Chimeras

God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27).

Have you ever heard the word ‘chimera’? It is the name of a monster from Greek mythology. The chimera was a fire-breathing creature that was part lion, part goat, and part snake. It was a composite of several different animals that did not belong together.

In recent years, ‘chimera’ has taken on another meaning. In 2003, Chinese scientists fused human cells with rabbit eggs. These embryos were allowed to grow for several days before being destroyed in order to harvest their stem cells. In 2004, researches at the Mayo Clinic created pigs with human blood. The organisms that result from this kind of genetic manipulation are called ‘chimeras’. The interest in chimeras has so become so widespread that in 2007 England passed a law officially permitting their development.

Scientists want chimeras for the purpose of research. New drugs are first tested on animals that are similar to humans; by using an animal with enhanced human characteristics, scientists hope to get better test results for new kinds of medical treatment. Chimeras are also being considered as biological factories for organ transplants.

But this raises a moral question—if chimeras have human DNA, do they have rights? Could they develop self-awareness? How much human DNA does it take to make a creature human? Is it right to breed some form of human being for the purpose of organ harvesting or medical experimentation?

These are important questions. For centuries, blacks were enslaved because whites viewed them as animals, not people. Adolf Hitler tried to breed a ‘master race’ of superior human beings, while getting rid of those people he judged to be inferior, like Jews and gypsies. If we are judged on the basis of genetic purity, what will happen to those who are deemed substandard?

All the way back in the Old Testament, God warned against genetic engineering. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed (Leviticus 19:19). Human beings are more than just a string of organic molecules; we are not an accident of evolution. God designed our bodies and blesses each of us with a thinking, feeling consciousness that lives forever. Chimeras are man’s feeble attempt to improve on God’s work; producing them insults our Creator, and threatens to undermine the ethical treatment of our fellow human beings.

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