What Should Clinicians Do to Engage the Public About Gene Editing?

Abstract

Genome editing holds tremendous promise for preventing, ameliorating, or even curing disease, but a thorough discussion of its bioethical and social implications is necessary to protect humankind against harm, a central tenet of the original Hippocratic Oath. It is therefore essential that medical students, physicians, and all health care workers have a working understanding of what gene editing entails, the controversy surrounding its use, and its far-reaching clinical and ethical implications.