NSW Synod - Uniting Church in Australia

The Uniting Church in Australia NSW Synod

Genetic engineering

The Uniting Church is unusual compared to many other Christian traditions in that it does not have institutional or official positions on stem cell research, genetic engineering, IVF and so on.

The Uniting Church regards these medical issues as important ethical issues but not the kinds of issues that it can respond to directly out of its doctrine or even the Christian tradition.

It may help to compare these to other issues; for example, the Uniting Church does have a nationally-agreed position on refugees and asylum seekers, and one on peacemaking, and one on climate change.

The Judeo-Christian tradition is clear about caring for the marginalised, the oppressed and the stranger in exile (refugees); it is clear about Jesus as the Prince of Peace and Jesus’ teachings are also clear on the call on us to be peacemakers; the natural world is the Creation of God, God’s Spirit continues to breath life into the environment and humans have a special responsibility of care for the planet.

On issues of medical ethics, however, vastly different positions can be argued for successfully from a Christian standpoint.

There have been bioethical committees based in some of the Uniting Church synods (state offices) — Victoria, South Australia and Queensland — and they have done work on some of these issues.

There are two resolutions on abortion from the Victoria and Tasmania Synod attached [Late-term Terminations & Report on Abortion] (which do not apply to the whole Uniting Church) and a statement on abortion that seeks to explain the Uniting Church thinking without representing a formal position.