Framing the issues

Abstract

Typically, our society proceeds in a "reactionary mode," scrambling to match our values and policy to scientific developments. But doing so has serious limitations. The furor over the possibility of applying somatic cell nuclear transfer technology to clone human beings underscores how difficult it is to undertake a serious examination of the ethical, religious, and societal implications of new technologies after scientific breakthroughs have already been made. Thus, when confronted with a potential scientific advance that raises profound issues related to the possibilities of modifying our genetic futures, it is important to plan ahead, to decide whether and how to proceed with its development, and to give direction to this technology through rigorous analysis and public dialogue. This volume explores the feasibility and implications of proceeding with one such potential innovation, inheritable genetic modifications (IGM), which would confer the ability to design our genetic futures.