Barbara Peddie is the Methodist representative on the Interchurch Bioethics Council. In this article she explains the role of the council.

At every Conference there is a report from the ICBC. The report is ‘considered’, presented and accepted, along with its recommendations, however, I suspect that many Conference members have not read it and nor do they really know what the report is dealing with. The ICBC will celebrate its 20th birthday next year so it is timely to refresh Te Haahi’s memories about why the ICBC exists and what its significance is to our members.

In 2000, the NZ government decided to set up an InterChurch Commission to explore the implications of genetic modification and decide what to do about it. It can come as a jolt these days to remember how new that concept of genetic modification was back then! The Commission was set up specifically to look at the Christian implications of this new development. Although there were, and are, committees that monitor ethics, none had a mandate to consider the spiritual implications of these new developments. The Commission finished its task in 2002, but some of the denominations decided that the new technologies still needed a voice to speak out on the spiritual issues raised.

The Commission was renamed the “InterChurch Bioethics Council” in 2002 and was given a broader brief to raise issues relevant to the cultural, ethical, spiritual and theological issues in the use of biotechnology in New Zealand. It was also asked to explore the consequences of new developments and to increase the knowledge and understanding of church members and the wider community, so as to enable and encourage people to make informed decisions and to take action on these issues. In these times of false information flying round the internet, it is more important than ever to encourage people to take time to make informed decisions.

The ICBC today is a unique cross-cultural body: one of the few ecumenical bodies currently active in our country. It is supported by the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations and has a good relationship with the Nathaniel Centre – its Roman Catholic counterpart. ICBC members, between them, have expertise and knowledge in science, ethics, theology, medicine, education and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). The term ‘biotechnology’ relates to biological, medical, environmental and agricultural technologies derived from science. This means that bioethics is an interdisciplinary category of ethics that provides a framework for policy and decision-making with regard to scientific research and resulting technologies, including future consequences, legal, political, commercial, theological and social aspects.

Over its lifetime, the ICBC has never had any shortage of issues to deal with. The challenge is to decide which should take priority each year! One of the results of the speed of new biotechnological advances is that the law is always needing to catch up and so the ICBC makes submissions about proposed law changes. Last year New Zealanders were asked to vote on the End of Life Choice referendum and the Cannabis Reform referendum - for referenda it is especially important to get information out in the media.

In earlier years the ICBC has made responses to the Law Commission on issues relating in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Issues considered included: what happens to eggs and sperm that have been frozen for more than 10 years, how much information should children have about biological parents, or surrogate parents, and what should the parents know. There is the question about how far we should go with information now available about the genetic makeup of embryos. There are issues about organ transplants and organ donation, and about how long someone should be on life support. There have been proposals about genetic modification in the horticulture industry. Most recently there has been Covid-19. In the coming months the ICBC will be focusing on climate change. There is never any shortage of important issues.

The ICBC supports the Centre for Science and Citizenship (CSC, www.nzcsc.org), initially piloted as the Bioethics Roadshow. The CSC’s enQuiring minds student workshops involve several thousand intermediate and secondary students each year in interactive workshops where the young people can think seriously about contemporary ethical issues while enjoying lively debate and discussion. The ICBC also offers financial assistance for teachers and youth workers from faith-based schools to attend professional development seminars run by CSC in collaboration with the Nathaniel Centre.

For members of our congregations, the most important part of our work will be found on our website, which is continually updated and includes a list of the current ICBC members. Every congregation should include www.interchurchbioethics.org.nz as a resource. You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InterChurchBioethicsCouncil.

In closing, ICBC asks all ministry units within our supporting denominations to undertake the "EcoChurch" survey developed by A Roche (www.ecochurch.org.nz) and choose one action point from each area to complete over the coming year.