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 Ariel Messman-Rucker, Pride | 04.30.2025
By Aitor Hernandez-Morales, Politico | 04.30.2025
Flag of Spain, public domain via wikimedia commons
The Spanish government is banning its embassies and consulates from registering children born through surrogates in foreign countries.
Regulations set to go into effect on Thursday cancel all pending registration processes and...
By Dana Mattioli, The Wall Street Journal | 04.15.2025
Image "Elon Musk" by Debbie Rowe on Wikimedia Commons
licensed under CC by S.A. 3.0
Ashley St. Clair wanted to prove that Elon Musk was the father of her newborn baby.
But to ask the billionaire to take a paternity...
By Emma McDonald Kennedy
| 04.24.2025
A Review of Eggonomics: The Global Market in Human Eggs and the Donors Who Supply Them by Diane M. Tober
A recent journalistic investigation of the global egg trade at Bloomberg put the industry’s unregulated practices and their exploitative implications back in the spotlight. Diane Tober’s book Eggonomics: The Global Market in Human Eggs and the Donors Who Supply Them, published in October of last year, delves even more deeply into the industry with a thorough examination of egg...