Young adults tackle genetics questions at Theology on Tap

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – Altering genetic material could lead to improved health for some human beings, and injustice for others.
Father José A. Rodríguez, pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Parish and Holy Trinity Chapel in Leominster, raised these issues at Theology on Tap June 5.
Theology on Tap is a gathering for young adults, held monthly at The Compass Tavern in Worcester. It is organized by the diocese’s youth and young adult ministry, New Evangelization Worcester for Youth & Young Adults.
“Genetic Editing: Correcting Mutations and Designing my Child” was the topic.
 Father Rodríguez, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, focused on what he said is the latest method of genetic editing – CRISPR/Cas9. CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats,” a description of patterns in the DNA. Cas9 is an enzyme that can cut DNA at the desired place so pieces of DNA can be added or removed.     
CRISPR/Cas9 is more precise than the previous methods of genetic editing, and production costs are expected to be much less – about $30 instead of $5,000, Father Rodríguez said. (It’s not on the market yet, because it hasn’t been approved.)
He talked about three types of, or reasons for, genetic editing, which involves altering material in plant, animal or human genes. Later, he clarified some points for The Catholic Free Press.
The Catholic Church accepts the possibility of altering somatic cells (most cells in the body, other than reproductive cells) to improve the health of individuals who could benefit from this, he said.
But the Church does not approve of altering reproductive cells (eggs and sperm), either to improve health or to “enhance” the embryos created (design them with specific features, such as blonde hair and blue eyes), he said.
“As a Church, we clearly want to heal, but make sure we’re not playing God,” he said.
The Church addresses aspects of these issues in the 2008 document “Dignitas Personae” (On Certain Bioethical Questions), Father Rodríguez noted.
He said the best document about CRISPR/Cas9 is “National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine: The Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics and Governance.”
Genetic editing of somatic cells would involve cutting out of the genes mutations that produce illnesses, and inserting healthy patterns in their place, Father Rodríguez said.
The cost is expected to be much lower than present treatments, because a one-time procedure would be used to permanently alter that person’s DNA, he said. Unlike the editing of reproductive cells, it would not affect the DNA of future generations.
Somatic cell editing has not yet been approved for human beings, Father Rodríguez said. In animals it has shown a dramatic reduction in the health problems targeted, but not total healing.
A concern is that scientists don’t know what unintended effects somatic cell editing might have, he said. It might cause off-target changes (affect things not targeted for change) such as causing new mutations. It might eliminate a mutation in one part of the body, but not every part.
The Catholic Church is open to the possibility of altering somatic cells to help sick people, as long as human beings and nature are treated properly, Father Rodríguez said. The Church is concerned about justice, such as whether rich people would be the only ones able to afford this procedure.     
The Church opposes genetic editing of reproductive cells and forming embryos from them outside the human body, whether in an attempt to eliminate an illness or to create “the perfect child,” Father Rodríguez said. Embryos are to be formed by the loving union of their parents.
Experiments are already being done with the editing of human reproductive cells, he said. These experiments must be done outside the human body, and stay outside it, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not given approval to implant embryos formed after such editing. So these embryos cannot be brought to full term and birth, another issue of grave concern to the Church.
Both the Church and scientists are concerned about the long-term impact of editing reproductive cells, because it is unknown how changing the DNA will affect future generations, Father Rodríguez said. Results are not known and won’t be for years.
Another concern he raised about reproductive cell editing was a potential growth in intolerance of people with illnesses and defects, which could undo efforts to promote societal acceptance of the disabled.
“We see that already,” he said. Children diagnosed with illnesses before birth are sometimes aborted. The attitude is, “If you’re not perfect, we don’t want you born.”
Perfection might also be sought by genetic editing of reproductive cells to “enhance” or “design” a child. Parents’ desire to enhance their children is natural – they do things like send them to tutors or make them play extra sports, Father Rodríguez said. But trying to enhance them by reproductive cell editing is like playing God and could lead to eugenics, like Adolf Hitler promoting a “prime race,” he said.
If several people have a say in designing a child, “How will you relate to this child afterwards?” Father Rodríguez asked. “When this child is born, is it a child or a thing … your toy?”
At some point, people need to accept the way they are and the way their children are, Father Rodríguez pointed out.
He encouraged his listeners to be informed so they can have a substantial conversation about the subject.


By Hannah G. Snell
Catholic Free Press Intern
Theology on Tap has been running once a month in Worcester since December.  
“There’s a lot of good theological ... discussion, but I think the biggest thing is community life that is being formed,” according to Timothy T. Messenger Jr., who has spearheaded the event as director of youth and young adult ministry.  “We have a core group of people every time but we always have a big group of people … I think it allows the community to grow more and more.”   
Garrett Forss, a history teacher at Sullivan Middle School from Worcester, is a part of this “core group” of regulars, and has been returning to the event for several months.  
Mr. Forss said he has enjoyed the variety of topics that the series covers, and that the talks are relevant.
“Looking around, it seems like it’s working. They get a lot of good people here and they have a variety of different ways of thinking,” Mr. Forss said. “I really liked it and I know several other dioceses are doing it as well. And with the same amount of success.”  
Mr. Messenger also reported that the June talk drew in many new faces; he thought about half of the people there were newcomers. One of these was Ellen Goldman, a preschool teacher who attends Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Leominster.  
“I’m definitely going to come again, I wrote down the date on the July one and the retreat in August,” Ms. Goldman said. “That was really fun ... in a relaxed setting, mingling afterwards works for me.”  
For Ms. Goldman, part of what drew her to Theology on Tap was the opportunity to talk about her faith freely with like-minded people.  
“For me, I don’t normally talk about my faith in public,” she said.  “What I want to add to my life, (is) more friends and people who are more open about it in a non-Mass setting.”  
Liz Gauvin, who works at a pediatrics office and attends St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge, came to the talk because of her interest in the medical sciences.   
“I’ve been interested in coming ... for a while. But, it was the topic, mostly,” she said. “I thought I’d have a listen. … I thought it was cool, laid-back.”    
Regarding the topic of genetic editing, Mr. Forss took a “theological and historical” approach, as an educator, emphasizing how history repeats itself.
“We’re ultimately trying to do the same thing again, which isn’t going to work,” he said, making parallels to eugenics.
“So I mean there are some benefits, but in my opinion, the problems outweigh the benefits.”
For a theological approach,  Mr. Forss focused on the “dignity of the human being.”
“That’s the thing we have to remember and keep at the forefront,” he said.
Going forward, Mr. Messenger hopes to use Theology on Tap to grow the youth presence in the diocese.   
“My hope is each month, certainly getting new people, but then really establishing a community of young adults in the diocese,” he said. “From there, once that community is more established, figure out how we can tap into different parts of the community, grow, have different events.”