Medical anthropologist and bioethicist Julia Brown calls for early, inclusive discussions on the ethical implications and societal aspects of fetal genome editing.

Medical anthropologist & bioethicist Julia Brown calls for early discussions on the ethical implications of fetal genome editing, a technology offering potential benefits in treating genetic diseases before birth. Brown emphasizes the importance of considering societal aspects of germline editing, transparency, and equal access to the technology. These discussions should involve communities to ensure the technology benefits prospective users and addresses concerns, including the maternal-fetal relationship and abortion access. The technology developers and healthcare systems must also address cost and trust issues to distribute prenatal genome therapies equitably. Brown warns that editing a fetus's genome may involve unintentional, collateral germline edits, which could only be detected decades into the future.

August 16, 2024
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