The Ethics of Preimplantation Genetic Testing

Time and date

Thursday 26 February 2026, 19:15

Venue

Uehiro Oxford Institute, 16-17 St Ebbe's St, Oxford OX1 1PT (ring Buzzer 1 for access)

Organisers

Convenor:  Andrew Moeller, Project Leader, Biotechnology and the Humanities, TORCH

This event is supported by the Oxford Medical Humanities Research Hub and the Uehiro Oxford Institute. 

Description

As biotechnologies advance, many ethical questions take on a new sense of urgency. This conversation brings together diverse religious perspectives on preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), exploring how ancient moral and spiritual frameworks might respond to these novel interventions in human life. The discussion will consider wide-ranging questions about the nature of human limits, moral responsibility, dependence, vulnerability, and the very meaning of life itself.

Panelists

Dr Mansur Ali is a Senior lecturer in Islamic studies at Cardiff University where he teaches Islam and ethics, and Islam in Britain. He has multiple research interests including Hadith studies, Islamic legal theory, Muslim chaplaincy, and Islam and bioethics. Currently he is writing his book on Islam an organ donation.  In addition to his post at the University, he is also an Imam in the local mosque.

Brahmacharini Shripriya is acharya for Chinmaya Mission UK. She grew up attending Bala Vihar and CHYK classes in Kenya and the UK. In 2012, she participated in the Yuva Veer programme at Chinmaya Vibhooti and was subsequently posted to Chennai for a year of service, where she taught at Chinmaya Vidyalayas and delivered personality development workshops to college students as part of the Chinmaya Institute of Management team.

She returned to London to begin a master’s programme at the LSE, but a conversation and a deeper personal conviction redirected her path, leading her to join the two-year residential Vedanta course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, in 2014. In September 2016, she received brahmacharya deeksha under the guidance of Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda and Swami Bodhatmananda, committing to a life of service aligned with the vision of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda and the teachings of the scriptures.

Dr Jonny Torrance is the chaplain and Lord Crewe Career Development Fellow at Lincoln College, University of Oxford. As Chaplain, Jonny provides pastoral support to the whole College—including students, Fellows, and staff—while also overseeing the chapel and leading services. He is always available for conversation over a hot drink. He grew up in Edinburgh and came to Oxford to study History at St Peter’s College. After graduating, he spent five years working as a youth worker in Switzerland before moving to Cambridge in 2017 to train for the priesthood. Rediscovering the library inspired him to continue with a PhD in Theology while also serving a curacy. He subsequently worked for a year as assistant chaplain at Jesus College, Cambridge, before joining Lincoln College in 2024.

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