Playing God: The Theology of Genetic Engineering

What took a long time to understand about this condition was its cause. It was eventually discovered that, in the early 1980s, one of the first industrially produced and commercially marketed amino acids, tryptophan, had begun to be manufactured by a novel process, in Japan, utilizing genetically modified bacteria. In an unexpected twist of fate, the genetically modified but poorly controlled bacteria had created an undetected, and highly toxic, dimerization of the tryptophan molecule. This toxic molecule was undetected in pre-market testing, and so the new product was deemed “biologically equivalent” to existing, conventionally produced tryptophan. Unfortunately for the individuals who ingested it, their bodies responded very differently to the altered amino acid, and they suffered severe illness and even death as a result.

Fast forward a few years, and we discover that without any real public input or debate, and with essentially no human trials, our infant soy formula is now created with genetically modified plant material, our corn chips are made from insect resistant, genetically modified corn, and our veggie burgers contain altered soybeans. Current estimates suggest that fully 60% of products in Canada’s grocery stores have genetically modified ingredients. Our children and our grandchildren are growing up on them.

Is this a bad thing? No one knows. There have been no significant human trials of any size or length, nor does it appear that any are currently funded… What we increasingly understand, however, is that the biological systems in all of us are complex… We believe, therefore, that if there is any question about the safety and bio-equivalence of new foodstuffs being brought to the market, we must not expose humans to these foods until careful trials have been completed and their results made widely available.

What is more, we have real concerns about the relationships among living organisms. We are concerned about what it means to introduce what are essentially newly created species, some of which contain a chimeric blend of genes from entirely different creatures, into our world. We have seen the effects of chemical and nuclear contamination of the environment, and have real fears that biological contamination with newly minted organisms may be even more threatening to the natural order. We urge caution. What is the rush? We must resist the drive for quick profit, and review the implications of our new-found abilities…

וענין הכישוף הוא לפי דעתי כן, שהשם ברוך הוא שם בתחילת הבריאה לכל דבר ודבר מדברי העולם טבע לפעול פעולתו טובה וישרה לטובת בני העולם אשר ברא, וציוה כל אחד לפעול פעלו למינהו, כמו שכתוב בפרשת בראשית [א’, י”ב ואילך] למינהו על הנבראים…ובמלאכת התערובות יש בה צדדין שלא הורשו בני אדם להשתמש בהן, כי יודע אלהים שסוף המעשה היוצא לבני אדם באותן צדדין רע להן ומפני זה מנעם מהם. וזהו אמרם זכרונם לברכה דרך כלל, כל שיש בו משום רפואה אין בו משום דרכי האמורי [שבת דף ס”ז ע”א], כלומר אין לאסרו מפני צד כישוף, אחר שיש תועלת בו מצוי בנסיון באמת אין זה מן הצדדין האסורין, כי לא נאסרו רק מצד הנזק שבהן… 

And magic is, according to my opinion thus, that the Lord, blessed be God, at the beginning of creation gave each and every thing in the world a nature to do go about their business well and correctly, for the good of the people of the world that God created. And God commanded each one to go about their business according to their kind, as it says in parshat Bereishit [1:12 and so forth] “for its kind” about each creation… And in the work of intermixing,, there are aspects that are not permitted for humans to use, because God knows that the outcome of the action for people is bad for them, and because of this God forbade these things from them. And this is what [our sages] say, may their memories be for a blessing, in general: ‘Anything that is involved in healing, is not considered part of the ways of the Emorites [Shabbat 67a], which is to say that it is not forbidden for being magic since its benefit is known from experience, it is truly not one of the forbidden aspects, because these were forbidden only because of the damage that come from them….

But while environmental and consumer advocates in the First World fight against the worldwide use of GM crops in agriculture, hundreds of millions of people in the Third World are malnourished. And while trying to protect the environment and consumers in developed countries, critics of GM crops block a technology that could be of immense benefit for the majority of people in the Southern Hemisphere. Any serious attempt to discuss and make long-term decisions regarding GM plants must therefore take into account the facts about poor countries that, so far, have been largely ignored by opponents of this technology.

The human population is growing and it is growing faster than anticipated. Last March, the UN published its latest estimates, which project the world’s population to be 9.3 billion in 2050—400 million more than previously estimated. To feed all of these people and thus prevent famine, upheaval or civil war, more and better food is needed, at least for the majority of people on this planet who need it most…

Another important point often left out of the debate is how to make sure that new technologies help people in developing countries. Some people argue that GM technology is controlled by large multinational companies and thus will never be used by small farmers. Consequently, instead of condemning and blocking GM crop technology, government-funded institutions and non-governmental organisations should find ways to ensure that the knowledge is transferred to developing countries…

Many people assume that GM technology is meant to replace traditional breeding and that it will solve all current agricultural problems. It is important to understand that solving the problem of food production for a growing population without harming the environment will require the concerted use of traditional breeding and organic farming, as well as GM crop technology, each being used to solve specific problems and needs. Alleviation of hunger cannot depend on a single technology…

To ensure safe and sufficient food production, political and economic decisions by governments and companies, rather than technological limitations, will determine how successfully we can feed a growing population in poor countries… UNESCO has been designating monuments as belonging to humankind, which must be preserved not only for the benefit of the locals, but for the entire world. Perhaps new technologies that could solve fundamental problems of human well-being should be given a similar status, to ensure that they reach everybody who needs them.