Intrusions of a Parvenu: Science, Religion, and the New Biology

Both religion and the law must seriously consider artificial insemination so that dogma and laws are formed to incorporate the process. Science has brought the procedure to a society unequipped to deal with the religious and legal implications of birth through artificial insemination in any of its forms. Not all religions or jurisdictions can be expected to treat the process exactly alike, but there must be an effort on the part of each organization to react to the situation facing them so that their citizens will have some guidance. Section II of this article illuminates the path science is on and the possible ultimate result. Section III explores the interaction between the worlds of science and religion. Section IV presents the current religious reactions of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish hierarchies to the steps science has already taken. This article concludes that religion must provide a belief relating to the widening use of artificial insemination so that the law may codify that belief and present some direction for man seeking to ensure his survival