Beyond the traditional distinctions of genome editing: evaluating a vulnerability framework.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_CBFE52FDD22A
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Beyond the traditional distinctions of genome editing: evaluating a vulnerability framework.
Journal
Frontiers in genome editing
ISSN
2673-3439 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
2673-3439
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2024
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
6
Pages
1426228
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Over 40 years ago, the 1982 Splicing Life report outlined the two distinctions that have orientated much of the normative and legal landscape of genetic intervention or genome editing since - that of somatic versus germline (or heritable interventions) and medical versus non-medical (or enhancement) applications. During this time, these distinctions have been used to ethically prioritize some areas of research and potential application, such as somatic treatments, while considering others for prohibition, such as germline enhancements. Nevertheless, somatic interventions may also be done for controversial enhancement purposes while some germline interventions may be done with greater prima facie justification (e.g., the enhancement of athletic ability versus the avoidance of Tay-Sachs disease). Even with new somatic treatments that are generally lauded, exemplified with the case of Casgevy, many issues still arise - such as cost and access, particularly salient on a global level. The concerns over a dystopian future of genetic haves and have nots, as a result of enhancement and/or germline interventions, that perhaps may happen, should not distract us from a greater attention to what is happening in the here and now. In this paper, we will highlight the limits of the two distinctions in terms of moving from questions of "should a technology be used" to "how should a technology be used." We argue that an additional focus on vulnerability and marginalization can be useful to support the attempt to better prioritize which interventions should be permitted or prohibited. We show how this can better dovetail with calls for effective (global) governance and reasonable consensus by focusing on the most urgent issues and developing policy accordingly, while leaving aside more abstract issues for further discussion.
Keywords
Crispr, ethics, genome editing, regulation, vulnerability, CRISPR
Pubmed
Open Access
Yes
Create date
15/11/2024 16:50
Last modification date
19/11/2024 7:23