The Ethics of Human Gene Therapy [Hardcover]

Overall rating: Excellent " It will certainly stimulate reflection by interested physicians, members of research ethics committees, or members of the general public." CMA Journal (Sept. 1997)

"I found The Ethics of Human Gene Therapy to be an excellent introduction to this complicated topic, and well worth reading and considering."--Ethics and Medicine

"This book is timely, topical, and well written. Buy it. It should be read by a wide audience. It is written so that a broad range of individuals can understand the basic theory of genetics and the ethical issues involved."--Humane Health Care International

"Walters and Palmer have coauthored a book at the leading edge of the subject. Using fine illustrations and sketches, they lucidly explain the scientific and medical background as well as the ethical issues...The book succeeds because of its clarity and persuasive ethical reasoning...Five appendixes add value...Any literate citizen will be able to read and appreciate the account of the need for techniques to replace rather than add genes."--The New England Journal of Medicine

"Readable language with helpful illustrations...A very thoughtful introduction to a complex scientific and ethical topic, and the authors are quite clear in separating their own views and the views of others. The presentation is balanced and well documented....A marvelous introduction to an elegant and potentially revolutionary approach to treating human disease."--Journal of the American Medical Association

"Careful and thoughtful...This is a serious book, a good summary of many ethical issues in current somatic gene therapy."--Nature Biotechnology

"One of the first full-length books on the ethical and public-policy issues surrounding an important new biomedical technology...The Ethics of Human Gene Therapy surveys the emerging science, explores the future spectrum of genetic treatments and inspires readers to reach their own moral judgments about gene therapy as it becomes a part of our common landscape....The authors describe the science of gene therapy in terms easily accessible to the layperson."--The Detroit Journal

"Each chapter begins with a clear, well-illustrated discussion....Well written and readable..."--Canadian Medical Association Journal

Noted in Ethics

" Palmer explores where and how to draw the line between genetic traits and genetic diseases and how to decide which deserve medical "treatment." This book provides an excellent, detailed, and careful presentation of the state of the research, examples of illnesses that could benefit from gene therapy, and the ethical questions posed by both somatic and germline therapies." -- Religious Studies Review, July 2000

The authors of this absorbing new book describe the science of gene therapy in terms easily accessible to the non-specialist, and focus on the controversial ethical and public policy issues surrounding human interventions in human heredity. After a brief survey of the structure and functions of DNA, genes, and cells, Walters and Palmer discuss three major types of potential genetic intervention: somatic cell gene therapy, germ line gene therapy, and genetic enhancements. They start with the current techniques of gene addition, using non-reproductive (somatic) cells in an effort to cure or treat disease. Next they address the technical problems and moral issues facing attempts to prevent disease through genetically modifying early human embryos or sperm and egg cells. These changes would be passed on to future generations. Chapter 4, in many ways the most original part of this volume, confronts the issue of employing genetic means to improve human abilities and appearance. Depending on the techniques employed, such enhancements could affect not only the individuals receiving the intervention but their offspring as well. Three types of genetic enhancements are considered: physical alterations to improve size, reduce the need for sleep, and decelerate aging; intellectual enhancements of memory and general cognitive ability; and moral enhancements for control of violently aggressive behavior. The authors maintain that genetic modifications should be evaluated individually rather than be condemned in principle or as a group. The final chapter summarizes the public review process that human gene therapy proposals have been undergoing in the United States since 1990. Five appendices, providing technical background information along with a complete list of questions raised in the national public review process, supplement the discussion.