Topic– Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions;
7) What are the ethical concerns involved in gene editing technology. Discuss.(250 words)
Directive word
Discuss- this is an all-encompassing directive which mandates us to write in detail about the key demand of the question. we also have to discuss about the related and important aspects of the question in order to bring out a complete picture of the issue in hand.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to write in detail about the ethical issues surrounding the gene-editing technology.
Structure of the answer
Introduction: write a few introductory lines about the gene-editing technology.E.g Most of the ethical discussions related to genome editing center around human germline editing. This is because changes made in the germline would be passed down to future generations.
Body-Discuss the ethical issues surrounding the gene-editing technology E.g
- Safety
Due to the possibility of off-target effects (edits in the wrong place) and mosaicism (when some cells carry the edit but others do not), safety is of primary concern.
- Informed consent
It is impossible to obtain informed consent for germline therapy because the patients affected by the edits are the embryo and future generations; worries about the possibility of obtaining truly informed consent from prospective parents as long as the risks of germline therapy are unknown.
- Justice and Equity
there is concern that genome editing will only be accessible to the wealthy and will increase existing disparities in access to health care and other interventions. Some worry that taken to its extreme, germline editing could create classes of individuals defined by the quality of their engineered genome.
- Genome-Editing Research Involving Embryos
Many people have moral and religious objections to the use of human embryos for research. Public funds cannot be used for any research that creates or destroys embryos.
Conclusion– based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.
