Transition and Care

Abstract

Genome editing, or gene surgery, demands a theological and ethical exploration, as the applied methods that rapidly change the genetic make-up of humans seem to be making deep interventions. This incites theological and ethical discussion since modifications of the germline, a very fundamental dimension of the bodily sphere, seem to somehow contradict what is considered, from a theological perspective, a good creation. The active transformation of gene sections, by inserting or extracting information, constitutes a new dimension of gene manipulation, as the term “genome editing” indicates. There has already been theological and ethical scrutiny of the arguments, addressing positive claims for such interventions and providing an alternative to the playing-God-argument that is always brought up in the face of new developments, especially in technology-based medical bioscience, and is concerned with all sorts of deep changes of the body. This contribution aims to add affirmative arguments, from a Christian theological understanding in dialogue with process theology, to the debate on genome editing and to the transition of the biological basis of human beings.