8 pm Tuesday 26 September 2017

Lindisfarne House, Barbourne Terrace, Worcester WR1 3JS

(Lindisfarne House is the first house in Barbourne Terrace when coming from the A38, and is almost opposite St George’s Square). All welcome; no pre-booking necessary. Parking. Coffee at about 9.30 pm

Will doctors one day determine our health and our abilities before we are born?

A discussion involving contributions from Mrs Poov Wood, Dr Carla Laverack, Revd Dr Stephen May, Prof. Geoff Pritchard, and a short video contribution by an American scientist.

Animal characteristics (such as colour and temperament) are usually inherited. A dog can be trained, but the character of an animal does not simply emerge in a newborn animal at random. Modern  evolutionary science indicates that the same applies to humans too. A nation could try therefore to gain an edge over its neighbours by “improving” its gene pool, and genetic medicine could one day eliminate some inherited diseases.Determining any human or animal’s DNA has become almost routine for police investigations. It will soon become even more important for medicine.

Most religious faiths have been extremely wary of experiments in this field. Using the information mentioned above soon becomes a moral minefield even for nonbelievers, as the patient (i.e the embryo) is not in a position to be consulted about its own extinction or modification. More important for some Christians may be the realisation that the gifts we traditionally regard as imparted by God could one day be enhanced or reduced by clinicians.

The discussion will consist of contributions by five people with different perspectives.