The Ethics of Genetically Engineering Children - Arthur Caplan

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/14/Ethics_of_U...

Arthur Caplan, Director of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses ethical issues concerning genetic engineering and genetically handicapped children.

-----

Arthur Caplan discusses Is it Immoral to Want to Live Longer, Be Smarter and Look Better? The Ethics of Using Biomedicine to Enhance Ourselves and Our Children as a part of The Ethical Frontiers of Science during the 2008 Chautauqua Institution morning lecture series.

Arthur Caplan serves as the Emanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and the Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

He is the author or editor of twenty-five books and over 500 papers in refereed journals of medicine, science, philosophy, bioethics and health policy. His most recent book is Smart Mice Not So Smart People (2006).

He has served on a number of national and international committees, including as the chair of the National Cancer Institute Biobanking Ethics Working Group; the chair of the Advisory Committee to the United Nations on Human Cloning; the chair of the Advisory Committee to the Department of Health and Human Services on Blood Safety and Availability; the special advisory committee to the International Olympic Committee on genetics and gene therapy; the ethics committee of the American Society of Gene Therapy; and the special advisory panel to the National Institutes of Mental Health on human experimentation on vulnerable subjects.

Dr. Caplan writes a regular column on bioethics for MSNBC.com, and he is a frequent guest and commentator on various media outlets. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the McGovern Medal of the American Medical Writers Association; Person of the Year-2001 from USA Today, one of the fifty most influential people in American health care by Modern Health Care magazine; and one of the ten most influential people in America in biotechnology by the National Journal.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[STEPHENWRAYSFORD33]

People have no problem with improving their child's traits and abilites through music lessons, etc. But people have a sort of irrational reaction to any forms of genetic engineering.

[connor646]

there is no evidence for the existence of Jesus outside of the new testament.

[Candace Gust]

We have been genetically engineering the foods we eat for many years by the introduction of human genetics in the foods eaten and foods we feed puoltry etc. Our crops have been genetically altered and the scientific resulsts are that thrid generation people have been unable to produce abies.! Figur eTHAT !

[tnc044]

You're afraid that children will turn out to be one way and will be stuck forever with those genes. But think. Every time you conceive, you are already determining what genes your child will have - yours. The child will be stuck with parent genes, whether he likes it or not. That is a form of condemnation.

Most people don't mind the sexuality they were born with. So if you changed the sexuality of an embryo, they mostly wouldn't mind later. I don't think you complain about yours.

[pytko3]

But what if? There are people out there that would want a certain lifestyle for their children. How could you tell them, no? What would the penalties be? What would children who were originally, going to be born gay, but now are genetically modified to be straight, supposed to think?

[tnc044]

It is scientific fact that humans can be very irrational at times. The dislike for GE comes from gut feellings, not proper reason. Remember that and good luck ; ).

[tnc044]

Sorry for not replying, I've been absent.

We can still engineer people, just have regulations which don't eliminate race or change sexuality. There are great things GE can bring, if used correctly.

Many people fear that when we engineer people for a few given traits (eg Intelligence), diversity will disappear. Not so. Look at all the geniuses in history. Not all thinked alike or were similar to each other, yet they were geniuses nonetheless.

[pytko3]

What if you could also engineer their sexuality? Should they have the right to be born gay, straight or bisexual?

[tnc044]

Sorry, but all children have the right to be born free from crippling disease, don't you think?

[1337hacker12]

This is nothing but the works of Satan, genetically modified genome soldiers

[sleepcity]

Hey that's not respected bioethicist, long-time UPenn Medical Professor Art Caplan...that's the host of "Dining Out With Art Caplan!"