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Is it ethical to manufacture designer babies or experiment on human embryos? Is abortion morally justifiable as well as legally acceptable? Do terminally ill people have the right to choose when to end their lives? Sinse the birth of the first baby through in vitro fertilization just over thirty years ago, scientific advances in this field have been startling. Developments associated with cloning, human-animal hybrids and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis - so disturbing for many people - raise a crucial question about the moral status of the very early embryo. And, just as much as arguements about the right to interfere with the beginning of human life, the debate about the individual's right to choose when to die also provokes strong emotional responses.
About the author
Richard Harries is the former Bishop of Oxford, and served as Gresham Professor of Divinity between 2008 and 2012. He is the author of many books including The Beauty and the Horror (2017) and Haunted by Christ (2018)
Summary
Richard Harries has been at the heart of thinking about issues include cloning, human-animal hybrids and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. He shows that the Western Christian tradition is compatible with work in this area.
