Genetics Speech Addresses Ethical Debates

Issues of ethics in genetics can best be settled by careful decision-making and the backing of "hard science," a genetics expert said in the Atherton Lecture given in Emerson Hall last night.

Sir David Weatherall, formerly the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford and an authority on hereditary diseases, was invited to speak at the event, which is traditionally devoted to ethical issues and was sponsored this year by Adams House.

His lecture, entitled "The New Genetics or the New Eugenics?" presented a brief history of the eugenics movement, along with Weatherall's personal concerns for the future.

"We are in certainly the most exciting time in biomedical history, and as always new ethical issues arise with new developments," he said.

Public fears are sometimes the result of science fiction, he said, but it's usually possible to work through problems.

"What we're doing to change the human gene pool in this field is very small," said Weatherall, a pioneer in the application of molecular biology to human hereditary disease.

"The current thinking in molecular genetics, and why the field is hyped-up these days, is if these genes can be identified, they can lead us to the mechanisms of the disease," Weatherall said.

Weatherall works internationally on issues such as what he calls "avoidance"--carrier detection, counseling and prenatal diagnosis.

"There is a lot of concern about freedom of choice in screening. Patenting should be restricted, and the ownership of DNA by companies is worrying," Weatherall said.

As one example, he cited the genetic makeup of rice, which is owned by one company and could have a large impact, especially on the poorer countries of the world.

Weatherall emphasized the need for global dialogue.

"With our western society norms we probably don't understand most problems of other societies," he said.

He cited his work in Sri Lanka, where genetic screening programs

"would be a disaster," noting that most marriages on the island country are arranged.

He mentioned the United Kingdom's agreement to screen for Huntington's disease, but added that he thinks the ability to make very accurate predictions for genetic characterics is light years away, except in the case of monogenic diseases.

During an audience question-and-answer session, Weatherall was asked whether he thought insurance companies should have access to such genetic information.

"What's different about genetic info than [information about] our height, weight, or blood pressure, provided it's based on hard science?" he responded.

He also addressed audience questions about the role of the religious community in advising on genetic ethical issues, saying he believes theologians' advice is needed, but he has "a terrible trouble getting consensus."

Religious texts are interpreted differently to support different arguments, Weatherall noted.