Preconference Symposium on New Genetic Technologies: Ethical Debates and Global Science Policy

Preconference Symposium on New Genetic Technologies: Ethical Debates and Global Science Policy

A preconference event sponsored and organized by The Hastings Center

Advanced registration required.

CRISPR greatly enhances the ease and affordability of gene editing. It is being used to modify plants and animals and to develop human therapeutics. But it has reignited debates about whether and under what circumstances we should engineer the human germline. It has also elicited polarized views on the prospects of making permanent changes to the natural world, even changes made for an environmental good, such as conservation. This symposium will bring together journalists who cover genetic technologies with the bioethicists who study their ethical and social implications. It will consist of two panels that focus on two possible applications of gene editing: creating “better babies,” and altering plants and animals for a range of purposes. The panelists will discuss how these concerns vary around the world, and will explore the challenges they pose for global science policy. This symposium is organized by The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, and it draws on expertise from an international project led by Hastings on the potential ethical and social implications of gene editing.