NCC to address ethics with biotech industry

Christian Century, July 26, 2003

The National Council of Churches has signed an agreement with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to work together to address the ethical and moral issues surrounding biotechnology. The NCC represents 36 mainline Protestant and Orthodox churches, and the biotech group represents about 1,000 research, development and manufacturing companies in the $200 billion biotechnology sector.

The two groups signed a "memorandum of understanding" at BIO's recent convention in Washington. The agreement promises to cultivate "an active and informed debate" on biotechnology and a shared "belief in the importance and urgency of the appropriate and ethical use" of new knowledge in the field.

Both groups pledged "unequivocal opposition to human reproductive cloning" but remained silent on cloning for research purposes, an area of rapid growth for the biotech field. The NCC has not staked out a position on therapeutic, or research, cloning.

"Biotechnologies promise magnificent contributions to human well-being," said NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar. "At the same time, there is a need for vigilance about the ways in which those technologies are applied, so that human dignity and equality of opportunity are assured."

Carl Feldbaum, president of the biotech group, said preliminary talks between the two groups had been "frank, confidential, productive and respectful." Feldbaum's organization first approached religious groups two years ago, and the agreement with the NCC is the first formal relationship to emerge from those talks.--RNS