THE HUMAN GENE EDITING DEBATE

In 2018 the first genetically modified babies were reportedly born in China made possible by the invention of CRISPR technology in 2012. This controversial advancement overturned the preexisting moral consensus which had held for over fifty years before while gene editing an adult person was morally acceptable modifying babies and thus subsequent generations crossed a significant moral line. If this line is passed over scientists will be left without an agreedupon ethical limit. What do we do now John H. Evans here provides a metalevel guide to how these debates move forward and their significance to society. He explains how the bioethical debate has long been characterized as a slippery slope with consensually ethical use at the top nightmarish dystopia at the bottom and specific agreedupon limits in between which draw the lines between the ethical and the unethical. Evans frames his analysis around these limits or barriers. Historically they have existed to guide scientists and to prevent the debate from slipping down the metaphorical slope into unacceptable eugenicist possibilities such as in Aldous Huxleys novel Brave New World or the movie Gattaca. Evans examines the history of how barriers were placed then fell then replaced by new ones and discusses how these insights inform where the debate may head. He evaluates other proposed barriers relevant to where we are now projects that most of the barriers suggested by scientists and bioethicists will not hold and cautiously identifies a few that could serve as the moral boundary for the next generation. At a critical time in this new era of intervention in the human genome The Human Gene Editing Debate provides a necessary comprehensive analysis of the conversations direction past present and future.