From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Mon May 29 2000 - 11:53:08 MDT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_768000/768736.stm
The genetic modification of human beings should be banned until more is known
about the science, according to a leading genetic scientist.
Eric Lander, who is director of the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, said there was nothing stopping scientists
experimenting but he would be "appalled" if they did.
I would be appalled to wake up and find that someone had produced the first
genetically-modified child
Professor Eric Lander
During a lecture, sponsored by Nature magazine, at the Hay-on-Wye literary
festival in Powys, mid-Wales, he said the ban need not necessarily be
permanent.
But, he said, it should be kept in place until more is known about what is
involved.
"At present there is nothing stopping anyone from doing this type of thing,"
he said.
"But I would be appalled to wake up and find that someone had produced the
first genetically-modified child.
"We should ban the genetic modification of humans for now, with the
understanding that we would still be able to come back to the issue later."
Human Genome Project
Professor Lander - whose institute has been responsible for 30% of the
results in the Human Genome Project which is studying the genetic make-up of
human beings - said the first draft of the human genome sequence would be
published this autumn.
The project, he added, was the biological equivalent of the chemical table of
elements.
"Just as the table of elements completely changed our understanding of
chemistry, when you know all the components (of the human genome) and the
complex relationships between them, it changes everything," he explained.
Mr Lander said explained that the "revolution" in the understanding of
biological processes resulting from the project was already being used in
world-wide laboratories every day
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:28:53 MST