Genetics and ethics: a possible and necessary dialogue
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Genetics and ethics: a possible and necessary dialogue José Roberto Goldim 1
Received: 28 January 2015 / Accepted: 11 May 2015 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
Abstract Genetics and ethics have had numerous convergences and divergences over time. From Darwin through the Asilomar Conference and the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, much has been achieved, but much still remains to be done. The use of biological materials that are already being stored and the adequacy of new technologies, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), are some of the current challenges of this possible and necessary interaction. This paper will discuss some ethical aspects involved in current genetics. Keywords Genetics . Ethics . Bioethics . CRISPR . Biobank . Indigenous populations
A story in progress Charles Darwin’s work On the origin of species (Darwin 1859) elicited a tremendous shock by presenting a new perspective on integrating life. This change in understanding from obscure and dogmatic ideas intensified the debate between new knowledge and ancient traditions (Lucas 1979). Scholars reflected on how to overcome this, as for example, Thomas Huxley with his conference on science, religion, and This article is part of the special issue on Genetics and Ethics in Latin America * José Roberto Goldim [email protected] 1
Bioethics Research Laboratory, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Medical School Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Lab 12213, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, 90035-903 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
education (Huxley 2009). Huxley made a comprehensive approach to these three aspects, without prejudices. Applying the biological knowledge generated by Darwin to explain social aspects, as in the case of Eugenia (Galton 1869), only increased the need for this reflection. During the same period, Gregor Mendel proposed his work (Mendel 1866), which made no further contributions to the discussion, perhaps because his focus was on plants. In the 20th century, some social applications of the theory of evolution were negative (Stoddard 1920), whereas others were positive (Moreno 1934). The first one used genetics arguments to justify racism (Stoddard 1920), while the second integrated genetics with social perspectives (Moreno 1934). The further development of genetics, which was already understood as a new area of scientific knowledge, extended many aspects of hereditary mechanisms, such as the understanding of DNA’s structure. In the late 1960s, however, the possibility of changing this structure with the emergence of what was then called genetic engineering generated new questions. When this DNA alteration was possible, researchers were surprised by the mechanism they now had at their disposal and the risks associated with this manipulation. Led mainly by Paul Berg and David Baltimore, a group of scientists from a committee of the US National Academy of Sciences proposed a volunta
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