Richard D. Land and C. Ben Mitchell

In the following viewpoint, Richard D. Land and C. Ben Mitchell contend that patenting human genes amounts to the buying and selling of human life, a practice that dehumanizes its sanctity. Furthermore, patenting nonhuman genes is also problematic, they assert. What is needed, the authors maintain, is a careful investigation and examination of alternatives to gene patenting. Land is president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission. Mitchell is a consultant on biomedical and ethical issues for the CLC.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are some of the benefits of genetic technology, in the authors’ opinion?
2. According to the authors, why is human life sacred?
3. Why is patenting nonhuman genes problematic, according to Land and Mitchell"

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