Germ-line Gene Therapy: A New Stage of Debate

Abstract

Ethical debate on human germ-line gene therapy is in a new stage. After an era when only individual convictions could be examined, technology is on a threshold of real possibilities. Germ-line gene therapy can conceivably be carried out in either of two practical ways: 1) insertion of a gene into a pre-embryo, which is the subject of this paper, or 2) insertion of a gene into the germ cells of an individual.Transgenic animal research and pre-implantation embryo diagnosis have implications for human embryonic germ-line experiments to correct single gene disorders. When would such experiments be feasible and ethically acceptable? If further animal research supports it, we argue for a moral obligation to learn if human germ-line experiments are feasible and safe to attempt. The obligation is grounded in several social-ethical principles that lead society and researchers to set gods for studies that promisc to relieve and to prevent human suffering and premature death. These principles also shape the practices and restrictions of biomedical research.