ROME, JUNE 28 (ZENIT.org)

    A European organization must be created, which will assign "labels" guaranteeing respect for ethical norms and fundamental rights in research projects and biological products. This was the answer given in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the day after the news of the progress in the codification of the human genome.

    The first draft of the human genome was presented last Monday. Incurable illnesses like cancer and schizophrenia could be prevented with therapeutic applications contained in deciphering a human being's genetic map. The presentation, which took place simultaneously in several countries of the world, included the presence of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. The British researchers of the International Human Genome Project disclosed that it has been possible to translate 97% of man's genetic map, knowledge that is 85% precise.

    However, some scientists give a different reading to these discoveries, warning that there is still a long way to go before arriving at a profound understanding of the structure and function of genes, as well reaping benefits from this knowledge for human health. We need to know how the genes function and interact among themselves.

    In simple language, the Human Genome Project has provided us with the alphabet. We must now decipher the language -- a gigantic puzzle made up of over 50 million pieces. Although there is enthusiasm in the air because of the successes so far, there are reservations and, in some sectors, fears over possible abuses.

    In order to understand the situation better, Vatican Radio interviewed Bishop Elio Sgreccia, vice-president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and director of the Bioethics Institute of the University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.

    According to Bishop Sgreccia, the news of the great progress made in the codification of the human genetic map is a step comparable "to the discovery of a continent or space flight. Now we must hope that the the first objective in the use of these discoveries is to prevent the causes that determine hereditary diseases and, later, guarantee better knowledge of the mechanisms that determine the formation of tumors. Of course there is the risk, which calls for an imperative appeal to responsibility, that the conquests made will be used to promote eugenics, that is, to determine the selection between healthy and sick individuals, or to give a kind of value to human existence in virtue of genetic characteristics."

    This would be an extremely dangerous dictatorship that, in addition, would have all the information of our genetic constitution. "Knowledge is power and, therefore, to know our characteristics in a certain sense means to possess each one of us. In addition to UNESCO's (United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture) Universal Declaration on the Human Genome, we hope that laws will be promulgated that establish the limits for the use of a discovery of this kind," Bishop Sgreccia cautioned.

    Following the news of progress in the codification of the genome, someone said there is nothing left to say about man and his presence in the world. "Quite the contrary. Biological science describes, it does not explain the ultimate cause of the origin of life, the origin of reality and, above all, of this marvelous structure, which can only be the fruit of intelligent causality. Just as we say in the Psalm: 'The Heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands,' in this case also, and with greater reason, we can see the greatness of God in the order and beauty of the structure we decipher in our cells. It is an attempt to explain what the person is, and whether matter can explain intelligence and spirit or if, on the contrary, it is the human spirit that rules the individual's life. Anthropology, philosophy of science, and metaphysics are more stimulated than ever by this discovery," Bishop Sgreccia concluded. ZE00062810

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