The Nuffield Foundation and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics: Organising the Provision of Non-Partisan Expertise

2017 ◽  
pp. 114-124
Author(s):  
Ekkehard Thümler
Keyword(s):  
Nuffield Council

scholarly journals Moral reasons to edit the human genome: picking up from the Nuffield report

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 514-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Gyngell ◽  
Hilary Bowman-Smart ◽  
Julian Savulescu
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Moral Reasons ◽  
Detailed Consideration ◽  
Nuffield Council ◽  
Council Report ◽  
Guiding Principles

In July 2018, the Nuffield Council of Bioethics released its long-awaited report on heritable genome editing (HGE). The Nuffield report was notable for finding that HGE could be morally permissible, even in cases of human enhancement. In this paper, we summarise the findings of the Nuffield Council report, critically examine the guiding principles they endorse and suggest ways in which the guiding principles could be strengthened. While we support the approach taken by the Nuffield Council, we argue that detailed consideration of the moral implications of genome editing yields much stronger conclusions than they draw. Rather than being merely ‘morally permissible’, many instances of genome editing will be moral imperatives.

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