Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome (1988) / Chapter Skim
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8. Implications for Society
8. Implications for Society
Pages 99-104
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From page 99... ...
COMMERCIAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Mapping and sequencing the human genome will result in new information and materials of potential commercial value, for example, clones that encode previously undiscovered hormones, growth factors, or mediators of immunity. The commercial value of these resources raises questions concerning possible copyright protection of the data and ownership of the intellectual property and materials generated by participants in the human genome project.
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From page 100... ...
ETHICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS Whatever its scientific merits, a concerted effort to map and sequence the human genome would have profound social significance. Human beings are fascinated with the reasons we are what we are, both for what those reasons tell us about ourselves and for the insights they give us into those around us.
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From page 101... ...
Where there is no effective therapy, new abilities to detect diseases in advance of their onset create harder choices for clinicians and patients. As we explore the human genome, more people will be faced with the dilemma that now faces those at risk from Huntington's disease: Is it better or not to know one's fate when it is out of one's control?
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From page 102... ...
The most controversial applications of the new genetic screen would be their use by industries and insurance companies to identify individuals who might be occupational or insurance risks (Murray, 19831. As the human genome project proceeds, the ongoing discussion of these practices, and the need for sound social policy about them, will only intensify.
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From page 103... ...
By making an increasingly wide range of screening tests available, however, the human genome project is likely to increase the frequency with which these questions arise and the need for settled professional and social approaches to them. Fortunately, in the development of social policy and professional ethics with regard to these questions, it is already possible to draw on the resources of a large literature base and lively public discussion (for example, see Milunsky and Annas, 19851.
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From page 104... ...
Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
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