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Splicing Life: Chapter 8
Commission has not found any ethical, social, or legal barriers to continued research in this field, there remains an important concern expressed by the warning against “playing God.” It not only reminds human beings that they are only human and will some day have to pay if they underestimate their own ignorance and fallibility; it also points to the weighty and unusual nature of this activity, which stirs elusive fears that are not easily calmed. At this point in the development of genetic engineering no reasons have been found for abandoning the entire enterprise—indeed, it would probably be naive to assume that it could be. Given the great scientific, medical, and commercial interest in this technology, it is doubtful that efforts to foreclose important lines of investigation would succeed. If, for example, the United States were to attempt such a step, researchers and investment capital would probably shift to other countries where such prohibitions did not exist. To expect humanity to turn its back on what may be one of the greatest technological revolutions may itself betray a failure to recognize the limits of individual and social self-restraint. Even if important lines of research in this country or elsewhere could be halted, to do so would be to run a different sort of risk: that of depriving humanity of the great benefits genetic engineering may bring. Assuming that research will continue somewhere, it seems more prudent to encourage its development and control under the sophisticated and responsive regulatory arrangements of this country, subject to the scrutiny of a free press and within the general framework of democratic institutions. In light of the potential benefits and risks—uncertain though they may be at this point—a responsible social policy on genetic engineering requires the cooperation of many institutions and organizations. stances of the investigation are necessarily “unreal” in everyday terms. Of course, it may be that the isolated phenomena behave similarly under natural circumstances. This assumption, however, is often uncertain and may frequently be untrue. Moreover, the characteristics of those natural circumstances are rarely fully known. In some cases, knowledge of the multiple external influences upon biological processes could lead to a perception of those processes quite different from those obtained in the isolation of laboratory study. A critical understanding of present biological knowledge requires recognition of those methodological weaknesses. Public participation in science, by broadening the range of factors considered at each stage of investigation, provides a means of counteracting biases resulting from reductionist strategy. Halsted R. Holman and Diana B. Dutton, A Case for Public Participation in Science Policy Formation and Practice. 51 S. CAL. L. REV. 1505, 1513-14 (1978) (citation omitted).