I personally don't have a big problem with scientists synthesising life.
But everybody knows that viruses use the incredibly complex translation/transcription/metabolic circuitry of living cells so of course this has not yet been achieved.
A virus is like a word macro (a list of MS word commands). It's like a 12 year old hacker saying he can write MS word when all he did was write a macro. But 12 year olds grow up (sometimes into Bill Gateses) so I don't have a problem with future scientists synthsesing life. It will be a big project but not impossible.
This all has absolutely nothing to do with issues concerning the origin of life.