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Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 1989 14(6):681-693; doi:10.1093/jmp/14.6.681
© 1989 by Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc.
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© 1989 by The Society for Health and Human Values

Human Gene Therapy: Why Draw a Line?

W. French Anderson, M.D., Chief

Laboratory of Molecular Hematology, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892, U.S.A.


  Abstract

Despite widespread agreement that it would be ethical to use somatic cell gene therapy to correct serious diseases, there is still uneasiness on the part of the public about this procedure. The basis for this concern lies less with the procedure's clinical risks than with fear that genetic engineering could lead to changes in human nature. Legitimate concerns about the potential for misuse of gene transfer technology justify drawing a moral line that includes corrective germline therapy but excludes enhancement interventions in both somatic and germline contexts.

Keywords: somatic cell, germ line, genetic diseases, genetic engineering, humanness, enhancement, eugenics


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