Back to Basics: Application of the Principles of Bioethics to Heritable Genome Interventions

Science and Engineering Ethics 26 (5):2735-2748 (2020)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Prior to their announcement of the birth of gene-edited twins in China, Dr. He Jiankui and colleagues published a set of draft ethical principles for discussing the legal, social, and ethical aspects of heritable genome interventions. Within this document, He and colleagues made it clear that their goal with these principles was to “clarify for the public the clinical future of early-in-life genetic surgeries” or heritable genome editing. In light of He’s widely criticized gene editing experiments it is of interest to place these draft principles in the larger ethical debate surrounding heritable genome editing. Here we examine the principles proposed by He and colleagues through the lens of Beauchamp and Childress’ Principles of Biomedical Ethics. We also analyze the stated goal that the “clinical future” of heritable genome editing was clarified by He and colleagues’ proposed principles. Finally, we highlight what might be done to help prevent individual actors from pushing forward ahead of broad societal consensus on heritable genome editing.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Human Genome Editing and Ethical Considerations.Kewal Krishan, Tanuj Kanchan & Bahadur Singh - 2016 - Science and Engineering Ethics 22 (2):597-599.
Facts, values, and journalism.Susan Gilbert - 2017 - Hastings Center Report 47 (2):page inside front cover-page ins.
We need to talk about imperatives.Jesse Wall - 2019 - Journal of Medical Ethics 45 (8):487-488.
Genome editing: slipping down toward Eugenics?Davide Battisti - 2019 - Medicina Historica 3 (3):206-218.
Playing it Safe? Precaution, Risk, and Responsibility in Human Genome Editing.Sarah Chan - 2020 - Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 63 (1):111-125.

Analytics

Added to PP
2020-06-10

Downloads
13 (#886,512)

6 months
3 (#445,838)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Principles of biomedical ethics.Tom L. Beauchamp - 1979 - New York: Oxford University Press. Edited by James F. Childress.
The Case for Conserving Disability.Rosemarie Garland-Thomson - 2012 - Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 9 (3):339-355.
The social model of disability.Tom Shakespeare - 2006 - In Lennard J. Davis (ed.), The Disability Studies Reader. Psychology Press. pp. 2--197.

View all 13 references / Add more references