Resumen de Learning from Icarus: The impact of CRISPR on gene editing ethics
After centuries of crude genetic engineering through crossbreeding, the ability to directly intervene in life’s fundamental blueprint led to breakthroughs including longer lasting produce, cheaper insulin without using animal organs, and research animal models demonstrating disease progressions. But this was slow, resource-intensive work. After four decades of moderate technique advancements, CRISPR-Cas9 burst on the scene and blew the doors off previous gene editing (GE) mechanisms. Suddenly, long-standing philosophical thought experiments about whether we should put wings on donkeys and design virtuoso violinists became more concrete possibilities. Most say the ease, speed, and great potential of CRISPR do not fundamentally change the gene editing ethics questions, they just make it more urgent to answer them. But CRISPR traits do change the ethics. They play to our hopes, make us take risks, and might threaten our commitment to solidarity. This chapter explores long-standing GE ethics considerations including utilitarian calculations, “Playing God,” transparency and democracy, informed consent, treating disease versus accepting difference, and most importantly fairness and equity. Each ethics issue will be demonstrated through current and near-future gene editing applications, and will focus on how these interplays are impacted by the unique attributes of CRISPR based tools.
