Choosing the Future: Morality and the New Genetics
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Alumni College Seminar - Saturday, March 28th Dartmouth professors, alums and friends spent a day at Occidental College in Eagle Rock. Led by Biology professor Ed Berger (also Dean of the Faculty) and Religion professor Ron Green, attendees learned about the technical and ethical issues surrounding the latest advances in genetics. Characterizing genetics as "the science of desire," fueled by humanity's wish to control nature- Professor Berger started off, detailing the history and circumstances that led to the present level of knowledge. He then described the techniques used to manipulate genes and the processes behind technologies such as cloning. |
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Professor Green stated that a person's entire genetic makeup could conceivably be placed on a CD-ROM in the near future. From there, he began to point out the implications. What does your genetic information say about your future health? Should your employer (or insurer) know? What does this information say about your relatives? About your children? After a brief recap of the context of today's medicine and medical ethics, Professor Green showed how this technology strains and often reverses conventional thinking. A major portion of the day (which included lunch) was spent discussing the issues, and hypothetical cases which were not far from today's headlines. Issues of parental autonomy, medical confidentiality, economics and, basic human nature came into play. Moderated by the two professors, nearly everyone had a chance to voice their opinion and contribute to the conversation. With over 40 people in attendance, special thanks go out to Doug Morton '70, for helping make this event a success!! |
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Choosing The Future: Morality & The New Genetics During the past decade, genetic science has revolutionized our understanding of the biological basis of life, and has given us the unprecedented ability to "transform" other species by genetic engineering. In the next ten years, the Human Genome Project promises to take this revolution even further, offering us enormous new powers of control over our biological constitution. With this control come difficult new ethical choices for us all. In this one-day seminar, Professors Edward Berger and Ronald M. Green, will combine forces to identify some of the leading scientific and ethical issues raised by the new genetics. Beginning in the morning with an overview of cutting-edge scientific developments, they will outline current and anticipated ethical challenges posed by advances in genetic science. The afternoon will be devoted to interactive discussion of difficult new cases in genetic ethics. Among the questions raised: Who owns genetic information: individuals, families, or society as a whole? What rights do parents have to shape the genetic inheritance of their offspring? Are there ethical limits to the genetic engineering of human beings? Do we have the right to fundamentally alter the genetic nature of our species, perhaps by altering our intelligence, physical constitution, behavior, or life span?
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 GATTACA
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