Ethics and Genomics
- Evelyn J. Kim
- Jul 22, 2024
- 1 min read
In October of 2018, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) instilled whole genome sequencing as a part of their care, thereby becoming the world’s first “Genomic Medicine Service with the ultimate goal of sequencing over 5 million individual genomes. However, this research is not without controversy.
It is human nature to utilize our knowledge of the past to influence our discoveries in the present. This places a fundamental ethical responsibility upon those who seek to explore the past to do all they can to effectively and accurately communicate their findings and to ensure that their work is not misused. This is not just a theoretical possibility: history is rife with the misuse of anthropological research to justify regimes that have cost the lives and livelihoods of many people. As a result of the manipulation and misuse of such “research,” many question the validity of continuing such research. Although the most notorious misuse of anthropology has been the justification of genocide, the current concern and recent public anxietys lie rather in the issues of ownership, commercialization, and privacy. Furthermore, some researchers argue that using genomic data to advance medical knowledge should be permitted without explicit consent and that international and other bodies should be granted access to the data, provided certain conditions are satisfied. Certainly, as research advances this conflict will be addressed - whether indirectly or not.
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