Database
As part of its curating function, the Global Observatory collects, summarizes, and sorts resources relevant to the ethics and governance of emerging biotechnologies. Use the “Search and Filter” box on the left side of the page to navigate the resources in this database.
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2019-03
Jon Cohen
Jon Cohen, writing for Science, describes the divisiveness of Lander et al.’s call for a moratorium within the biological research community. While many threw their support behind the call, Nobel Laureate and Asilomar organizer David Baltimore was a notable exception.
2019-03
Carrie D. Wolinetz , Francis S. Collins
At the same time Lander et al. published their call for a voluntary moratorium on heritable human germline editing, two leaders of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voiced their support.
2019-03
Eric S. Lander , Françoise Baylis , Feng Zhang , Emmanuelle Charpentier , Paul Berg , Catherine Bourgain , Bärbel Friedrich , J. Keith Joung , Jinsong Li , David Liu , Luigi Naldini , Jing-Bao Nie , Renzong Qiu , Bettina Schoene-Seifert , Feng Shao , Sharon Terry , Wensheng Wei , Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker
Following the reveal of He Jiankui’s experiments, Eric S. Lander and colleagues—a collection of scientists and bioethicists across seven countries—argue in favor of a global moratorium on heritable human genome editing.
2019-03
Sharon Begley
Sharon Begley chronicles the calls for a moratorium on heritable human genome editing from prominennt members of the scientific community. Begley also notes the absence of notable figures in genome editing, including Jennifer Doudna.
2019-03
G. Owen Schaefer
Reflecting on Lander et al.’s call for a moratorium on human germline gene editing, biomedical ethicist G. Owen Schaefer makes several arguments why a moratorium is neither desirable nor necessary while also emphasizing the importance of greater public deliberation.