Moral obligation and the human germ-line gene therapy debate

Abstract

genetic engineering, there are few arguments made for a positive moral obligation to genetic intervention. This is especially so with respect to human germ-line gene therapy. Burke. K. Zimmerman makes one of the few arguments that society and the medical profession have a moral obligation to develop and use human germ-line gene therapy. However, Zimmerman's arguments are vague, and he misses some important points. It is the point of this thesis to criticize and buttress Zimmerman's arguments, and to show that philosophers have an important role to play, in conjunction with scientists, in the ethical debate surrounding genetic engineering. In addition to making suggestions for improvement of Zimmerman's argument, I will argue that the argument succeeds.