Should ethical concerns regulate science? The European experience with the human genome project: a report from...

... The allocation of resources can indirectly control science by defining areas undesirable for research from the point of view of society. In the United States federal funds are not available for research on human embryos. The European experience represents a new approach to control of scientific research. The project is neither prohibited nor accepted in accordance with certain ethical rules, but is followed throughout the project. This new approach originates from the complexity of the human genome project and its unpredictable consequences for man.