| Abstract
The twenty first century has seen one of the greatest and most rapid technological and industrial development, in electronics, computerisation, chip and biotechnology. Spiritual values have not been able to keep pace with this far moving onslaught of technological advances. Today in human hands lie the ability to do enormous good for humankind…or destroy it. Moral, ethical, religious, and Christian values have been devalued, and the public are being desensitised, whilst materialistic values, and a culture of death are enhanced. Moreover, the public has been sensitised to accepting violence, the culture of death, by the media and by the political will of its leaders in government. There is also deception in encouraging unethical practices (such as abortion, and in-vitro fertilisation, embryo stem cell experiments, euthanasia, and organ markets) as doing good for population control, and providing a family for the subfertile couple, and good for humanity, whilst "watering down" on the knowledge that innocent living human beings, either in embryonic forms, or unconscious and in the "vegetative state" will die. Large pharmaceutical companies continue to exert their influences on publications. Journals continue to be faced with many examples of scientific misconduct, such as "ghost papers",distortion of scientific data, false reportings and scientific fraud. Fully informed Consent is sometimes not properly obtained from human experimentations. However, there are also those who have come forward, bravely to speak the truth of such unethical practices, and even calling for refrain from these practices.
Science without conscience is a formula for human disaster, and it requires great spiritual strength to resist temptations and to speak out against such injustices. Jesus said," Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not fit to be my disciple"(Matth.,10,3&). Humanity, more than at any time, will need to take up that cross, to do good even, when faced by incredible temptations to do harm to his/her own kind .In this challenging and harmful environment, we are reminded of the words of St. Peter, "Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil ,roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him"(1,Peter,5,8) Science that lacks humanity a disaster
Sharing an event
Many years ago, before I was baptised, and after obtaining my higher exams in Medicine (MRCP,UK) and the DCH(London), I worked on a cancer research project in which we developed a method for rejecting human cancer cells by raising antibodies to that cancer by immunisation. We had a young girl of 7 yrs, who had a rapidly growing neuroblastoma, and my superior, my Professor and Supervisor, asked me to inject these cancer cells into the healthy father. I consulted many of my colleagues and they advised me against doing it .I told my boss, " I can't do it, but if you are eager to do it, you have to do it yourself, but I will look after him." He replied, We'll irradiate the cells, nothing will survive!" I replied," What happens if the genes are not destroyed?". He respected my opinion, but he still went ahead and gave the injection. We do not know whether the father developed cancer, but in the history of cancer immunology, cancer cells have taken in some individuals, e.g. leukaemia in transfused leukaemic blood, and melanoma given from a daughter to an elderly mother, who later died of disseminated melanoma. The Good and bad of Scientific discoveries
Science and technology have moved so rapidly that they have overtaken the spirituality and faith of human populations. Materialistic values of cash, credit cards, cars, condominium and country club membership , and lust for fame, power, and richness, have led to scientific fraud, data manipulations, ghost papers, plagiarism, and faking of patented products. We live in a world where so much good has been done to help humankind,( such as the discovery of nuclear fission for energy to run factories to produce food and warmth, better crops from genetic engineering, new discoveries of antibiotics, heart medicines, anticancer drugs derived from designer drugs made by molecular modelling, and vaccines which have eradicated small pox).
But the evilness of Humans continues, with weapons of massive destruction, such as nuclear missiles, and biological and chemical warfare weapons, like smallpox, anthrax and other microbial agents threaten humanity today. The culture of death has been promoted in the media by politicians, who have skilfully desensitised populations ,e.g. by saying that abortion is good for the control of population, and embryonic stem cells experimentations is good for treatment illness while not mentioning that a minute living human being will die, and without its consent!! Materialistic values have been promoted vigorously in advertisements and the television. Children are encouraged to play killing games on TV. These are signs that moral and ethical values are either not taught at home, in schools and university, or the spiritual faith of our society has decreased, and there is a need for pastoral care in mission schools, and moral values of the public. Without a strong moral or spiritual faith, how then can an individual have a conscience? And science without conscience would be a formula for human disaster. As St.Peter said," Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him."(1,Peter,5,8-9).
Jesus said," Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not my disciple"(Matth.10,37) Today more than at any time, as Catholic doctors and scientists, we need to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to give us the courage to speak up for the truth, and for the preciousness of human life and to encourage others, to refrain from harming any human life. As disciples of Christ, we have to show others a living example of ourselves as Christ.. |
