Human gene editing is a social and political matter, not just a scientific one
By Marcy Darnovsky,
The Guardian
| 12. 04. 2015
An international summit on human gene editing drew hundreds of people to Washington DC for three days this week, with many more joining online. The meeting, which wrapped up on Thursday, was convened by the scientific academies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and China. Its central issue: whether or not powerful new molecular engineering techniques should be used to create genetically modified children.
The summit was not designed to produce consensus among the participants, a mix of scientists, academics, ethicists and others, but its organizing committee released a statement at the end of the deliberations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, its conclusion was inconclusive.
The statement asserts that germline gene editing for human reproduction — that is, genetically altering sperm, eggs, or embryos and initiating a pregnancy with them — has not been shown to be safe or effective, and that for now “it would be irresponsible to proceed.” Nor should any such effort be made, it says, until “there is broad societal consensus about the appropriateness of the proposed application.”
But the statement explicitly leaves the door unlocked and open...
Related Articles
By Tamsin Metelerkamp, Daily Maverick | 11.18.2024
The National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) has confirmed that heritable human genome editing (HHGE) remains illegal in South Africa, after changes in the latest version of the South African Ethics in Health Research Guidelines sparked concern among researchers that...
By Bernice Lottering, Gene Online | 11.08.2024
South Africa’s updated health-research ethics guidelines, which now include heritable human genome editing, have sparked concern among scientists. The revisions, made in May but only recently gaining attention, outline protocols for modifying genetic material in sperm, eggs, or embryos—changes...
By Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian | 11.19.2024
Photo "Elon Musk Presenting Tesla's Fully Autonomous Future" by Steve Jurvetson on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Is Elon Musk the dinner party guest from hell? It sure seems that way. Not only is the man desperate for people to...
By Colette Shade, The New Republic | 11.14.2024
Photo "Elon Musk" by Daniel Oberhaus on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Would Donald Trump have won reelection if not for the backing of the world’s richest man? We’ll never know. But that man, Elon Musk, gave Trump more than $130...