Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar;21(1):81-94.
doi: 10.1007/s11673-023-10266-3. Epub 2023 Jul 31.

Eight Strategies to Engineer Acceptance of Human Germline Modifications

Shoaib Khan  1 , Katherine Drabiak  2
Affiliations

Eight Strategies to Engineer Acceptance of Human Germline Modifications

Shoaib Khan et al. J Bioeth Inq. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Until recently, scientific consensus held firm that genetically manipulated embryos created through methods including Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy or human germline genome editing should not be used to initiate a pregnancy. In countries that have relevant laws pertaining to heritable human germline modifications, the vast majority prohibit or restrict this practice. In the last several years, scholars have observed a transformation of scientific and policy restrictions with insistent calls for creating a regulatory pathway. Multiple stakeholders highlight the role of social consensus and public engagement for governance of heritable human germline modifications. However, in the drive to gain public acceptance and lift restrictions, some proponents provide distorted or misleading narratives designed to influence public perception and incrementally shift the consensus. This article describes eight discrete strategies that proponents employ to influence framing, sway public opinion, and revise policymaking of human germline modifications in a manner that undermines honest engagement.

Keywords: Genome editing; Governance; Human rights law; Mitochondrial replacement therapy; Reproductive technology law.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adashi, E., and I.G. Cohen 2016. Going germline: Mitochondrial replacement as a guide to genome editing. Cell 164: 832–835.
    1. Adashi, E., A. Caplan, A. Capron et al. 2019. In support of mitochondrial replacement therapy. Nature Medicine 25(6): 870–871.
    1. Adashi, E., M. Burgess, S. Burall, et al. 2020. The public engagement imperative. The CRISPR Journal 3(6): 434–439.
    1. Adashi, E., D.S. Rubenstein, J.A. Mossman. 2021. Mitochondrial disease: replace or edit? Science 373(6560): 1200–1201.
    1. Ahmad, F., and R. Anderson. 2021. The leading causes of death in the US for 2020. JAMA 325(18): 1829–1830.

LinkOut - more resources