The African American Church's View of Human Cloning

Excerpted from "Cloning Human Beings: Religious Perspectives on Human Cloning"-- a commissioned paper by Courtney S. Campbell, Ph.D. Oregon State University

Faith traditions in the African American religious community comprise approximately 11% of religious adherents in the United States. The African American churches, stemming from Methodist and Baptist traditions, locate themselves within the "black Christian tradition." This tradition is united by commitment to a fundamental principle of human equality before God, often phrased as "the parenthood of God and the kinship of all peoples." The principle offers a theological basis for criticism of racism and sexism and necessitates social reform through non-violent measures and religious witness. Social Context. The black Christian tradition understands the history of research abuses of African Americans at the hands of medicine, such as the Tuskegee experiments, as a violation of the fundamental principle of human equality. Moreover, due to ongoing racism in society and medicine, it maintains the prospects for further exploitation of African Americans through cloning research are substantial. "The history of scientific abuse and medical neglect carries with it a legacy that is permanently imprinted upon...the collective consciousness" of African Americans (Secundy). Given this history of past abuses, society should assume a posture of greater vigilance for minority communities. Preston N. Williams, a participant in the 1970s discussion of cloning, argues both that public oversight is necessary with respect to cloning, and that it also must be "race conscious," lest the African American community experience further marginalization within biomedical science and society (Williams). This requires emendations to current codes of research ethics and institutional review policies, insofar as they do not address race relations and issues of power in the research setting. Present procedures of informed consent are not deemed morally sufficient for cloning research. Accountability and Education. While technology is not morally objectionable per se, applications of technology within this social context can be morally indefensible. Of particular concern are entrepreneurial efforts in biomedicine that are motivated by private interest and supported by concerns for commercial profit and/or racism. At a minimum, strong regulations that build in public accountability must be developed by legislative bodies to protect vulnerable patients and families from coerced choices or economic inducements. In addition, the scientific research community should voluntarily adopt strict protocols and monitoring. Communal distrust of scientific and research institutions and suspicion of commercial endeavors also entails a more comprehensive policy approach than oversight and accountability. Some African American writers stress that policymakers must learn a fundamental lesson from the community's distrust of organ procurement methods, and implement a major informational and educational campaign with respect to genetic, reproductive, and cloning technologies. While it is often difficult to enforce regulations or prohibitions, the lessons of the civil rights movement provide some confidence in an approach to human cloning that complements public accountability with public education. Embryo Research and Therapy. African American churches affirm, along with elements of historical Christianity, that human life begins at conception. The use of human embryos for medical research is problematic, since it involves experimentation on living human embryos rather than embryonic material. In addition, the tradition is concerned about the procedures required for creating embryos and those used in discarding embryos. A minimal criterion of moral acceptability is therapeutic intent: Cloning of human cells, for example, should not be allowed to benefit any individual racial or ethnic group "outside of the context of a clearly identified, morally defensible, medically justifiable" condition that would benefit from such technology (Robinson). Fairness. The tradition also raises questions about fairness and social priorities in resource allocation. The history of medical progress has often meant that African Americans assume the heaviest burdens and receive the least benefit for participation. Moreover, scientific energies and public monies used to support cloning could divert attention from diseases specific to the African American community or from poor health indices, such as high premature birth or infant mortality rates. The principle of human equality is violated when a new area of research investigation is opened up, while many within the African American community do not have access to basic health care. African American churches do not have any objections to the use of reproductive technologies per se as a means of bringing children into the world. However, the churches' principle of equality is invoked to criticize selective access to reproductive technologies, particularly to the exclusion of African Americans. Rev. Geoffrey Ellis, president of the NAACP Interdenominational Coalition, contends that those with the technical capacity to clone certainly will make more people like them. This certainly rules out more people like me" (Ellis). If financial resources dictate access to human cloning services, members of the black Christian tradition may experience further social marginalization. Human cloning may therefore perpetuate social stratification rather than affirm human equality.

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