How to avoid another gene editing scandal
Dear readers,
This week's edition of BioEdge includes a range of stories from around the world. Two articles focus specifically on the recent Chinese gene editing scandal. A commission is being organised by the US National Academy of Medicine to write new guidelines that deal specifically with gene editing projects involving human embryos. This is a step in the right direction. Though perhaps more needs to be done to prevent rogue scientists from carrying out unauthorised research involving new biotechnologies. If a scientist is intent on conducting unethical research, they will always find a way to rationalise their work.
Xavier Symons
Deputy Editor
_blank_
More needs to be done than just writing new guidelines.
1548199800
Xavier Symons is a bioethicist and scholar in residence at the Kennedy Institute for Ethics at Georgetown University.
Latest posts by Xavier Symons (see all)
- Can machines be moral? - March 7, 2021
- Can we synthesise Christianity moral theology with secular bioethics? - November 28, 2020
- Euthanasia polling data may fail to capture people’s considered views - August 15, 2020
More Stories
BioEdge has closed its doors
After 23 years, BioEdge ceased published in May 2024. Not that there isn't lots to report on and talk about,...
How liberal are American bioethicists?
There is growing acknowledgement of the fact that the backgrounds, ideas, and politics of American academics are out of step...
Doctors can be socialized to cooperate in morally despicable evil, says bioethicist
Bioethicist Carl Elliott seems to relish stirring up fellow bioethicists and the medical profession. In his latest book, The Occasional Human...
3 sperm donors from same family in Quebec have sired 600 children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children by offering free sperm on the...
American IVF clinics are happily offering sex selection
The United States is one of the few countries where IVF sex selection is legal – and it is a...
Owner of castration website in UK found guilty of grievous bodily harm
“Enhancement” normally connotes adding powers beyond normal human functioning. However, there are dark kinds of enhancement which remove them. A...