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Related Experiment Videos

Germline engineering: the moral challenges.

H Tristram Engelhardt1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA. goe@bcm.tmc.edu

American Journal of Medical Genetics
|February 22, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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Germline genetic engineering is likely inevitable, with no secular moral objections. Proceeding with caution is advised, as this technology could reduce human suffering and offers a path to direct our own evolution.

Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Genetics
  • Human Evolution

Background:

  • Germline genetic engineering (GGE) is a rapidly advancing field.
  • Ethical considerations surrounding GGE are complex and debated.
  • Secular moral frameworks currently lack definitive stances on GGE.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the moral permissibility of GGE from a secular ethical perspective.
  • To explore the distinction between disease elimination and human enhancement.
  • To assess the ethical obligations regarding GGE in the context of human evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of secular moral principles.
  • Examination of ethical arguments for and against GGE.
  • Review of the precautionary principle's application to GGE.
Keywords:
Genetics and Reproduction

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Main Results:

  • No convincing secular moral grounds exist to prohibit GGE in principle.
  • Secular moral constraints on GGE are primarily procedural.
  • A clear distinction between disease elimination and enhancement is difficult to maintain.
  • The precautionary principle can support GGE development.

Conclusions:

  • There is a secular moral obligation to consider GGE for reducing human suffering and genetic defects.
  • Humans face the challenge of directing their evolution in a postmodern context.
  • Secular bioethics must grapple with the implications of GGE without shared teleological understandings.