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Gene-environment interaction: why genetic enhancement might never be distributed fairly.
1Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia sinead.prince@hdr.qut.edu.au.
Journal of Medical Ethics
|June 2, 2023
Summary
Genetic enhancements cannot be fairly distributed due to gene-environment interactions like epigenetics. Arguments for the moral permissibility of genetic enhancement based on fair distribution are therefore flawed and misinformed.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Genetics
- Sociology
Background:
- Ethical discussions on genetic enhancement often assume fair accessibility and distribution.
- Fair distribution, either equally or equitably, is frequently used as a moral defense for genetic enhancement technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the assumption that genetic enhancements can be distributed fairly.
- To argue that the moral permissibility of genetic enhancement, predicated on fair distribution, is a misinformed position.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of ethical arguments for genetic enhancement.
- Examination of gene-environment interactions, including epigenetics, in trait expression.
Main Results:
- Genetic enhancements do not operate in isolation; their expression is contingent on environmental factors.
- The benefits of genetic enhancements can be undermined if conducive environments are not guaranteed.
Conclusions:
- The assumption of fair distribution of genetic enhancement benefits is problematic due to gene-environment dependencies.
- Arguments for the moral permissibility of genetic enhancement based on fair distribution are flawed because fair environments cannot be assured.
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