AI Gene Editing: Is it Ethical?

When Science Meets the Sanctity of Life: A Catholic Examination of Gene Editing and Reproductive Technologies

“The family is a primary social good. Founded on the enduring union between a man and a woman, it is the first environment in which all persons develop their potential, become aware of their dignity and learn the earliest forms of truth and goodness, internalizing the habits that prepare them for life in society. As the first natural society, endowed with foundational rights, the family is the fundamental and irreplaceable cell of every community organization. Consequently, when political projects and major economic decisions relegate the family to a marginal or secondary role, the authentic growth of the entire social body is compromised.” - MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS, OF HIS HOLINESS, POPE LEO XIV

Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, has drawn worldwide attention for its reflections on artificial intelligence and the future of human dignity. Yet only weeks later, another scientific milestone placed the human family at the center of a different ethical debate.

The announcement from July 2025 regarding the eight healthy babies born in the United Kingdom using mitochondrial donation therapy—often referred to as ‘three-person IVF’—has resurfaced and been widely celebrated as a scientific breakthrough. The technique was developed to help women carrying mutations in their mitochondrial DNA avoid passing devastating mitochondrial diseases to their children. Early reports indicate that the babies are developing normally, with disease-causing mitochondrial mutations either undetectable or present at levels too low to cause illness.

For families affected by rare genetic disorders, this research offers genuine hope. Yet scientific success does not eliminate the need for careful ethical reflection. As Catholics, we are called to examine not only whether something can be done, but whether it should be done.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a neuroscientist and senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, has raised concerns about the broader implications of these technologies. While recognizing the desire to alleviate suffering, he argues that scientific advances involving human embryos must be evaluated according to the dignity of every human life. He has questioned whether certain experimental procedures should first be conducted in animal models rather than involving human embryos.

Recently he told EWTN News, “Trying to make genetic modifications in a more efficient manner than had been previously achieved is precisely the kind of experiment that should have been carried out in animal embryos, not human embryos. The same basic biological information reported in these studies could readily have been obtained that way.”

Beyond the immediate goal of preventing mitochondrial disease lies a larger question: could these technologies eventually be used for purposes beyond treating serious illness? As gene-editing techniques continue to improve, some bioethicists have warned that the line between therapy and enhancement may become increasingly blurred. The possibility of selecting or engineering genetic traits raises concerns about a new form of eugenics, in which human worth becomes tied to genetic characteristics rather than inherent dignity.

Although mitochondrial donation is distinct from gene editing, it nevertheless raises broader questions about the future direction of reproductive biotechnology. As techniques for editing human genes continue to improve, many bioethicists have warned that the line between treating disease and enhancing human traits could become increasingly difficult to maintain. The possibility of selecting or engineering genetic characteristics raises concerns about a renewed form of eugenics, in which human worth becomes measured by genetic attributes rather than by the inherent dignity of every person.

Another significant ethical concern involves the creation and destruction of human embryos during IVF. Some embryos donated for research are no longer intended for reproductive use. However, the Catholic Church teaches that every human embryo possesses inherent dignity from the moment of conception. Consequently, the deliberate destruction of embryos for research, regardless of the intended medical benefits, is considered morally unacceptable.

Research into increasingly precise methods of editing human embryos has accelerated in recent years. While many scientists emphasize the potential to prevent inherited diseases, others acknowledge the profound ethical questions surrounding changes that could be passed on to future generations. Once germline modifications become accepted for therapeutic purposes, some fear that pressure may grow to use the same technologies for enhancement or the selection of preferred traits.

Catholics should therefore approach these developments with both compassion and prudence. We can affirm the sincere desire to relieve human suffering while also insisting that scientific progress must never come at the expense of the dignity of human life. The temptation to master human genetics through increasingly sophisticated technologies should not overshadow the moral principles that safeguard every person, especially the most vulnerable. As these advances continue, society must carefully consider not only what is technologically possible, but what truly serves the good of the human person and the family.

By Anne Taylor - CPO Board Member

References

Mariani, D. (2026, June 10). New frontiers in bioethics and falling fertility. The Drew Mariani Show, Relevant Radio.

National Catholic Register. Scientists unethically experiment on the unborn to improve gene editing techniques, bioethicist says. Retrieved from National Catholic Register.

Father Tad Pacholczyk. fathertad.com. Retrieved from https://fathertad.com

Pope Leo XIV. (n.d.). Magnifica Humanitas: Encyclical Letter on Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. The Holy See.