Terapie genowe z perspektywy bioetycznej
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Date
2010
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Publisher
Wydział Teologiczny, UAM
Title alternative
A Bioethical Perspective on Gene Therapies
Abstract
The development of gene therapies is a source of new hopes in medicine. These therapies can be of a preventive, symptomatic or causal character. The latter can have four forms: selection of gametes, therapies of cells of the gender line, embryonic therapy and somatic therapy. Because of the moral duty to respect the dignity of every person all methods using „in vitro" must be negatively evaluated. Likewise negative evaluation is to be applied to these forms of intervention or else experiments in which human life would be destroyed or there would exist too great a risk of the violation of the integrity of the oocyte (in the futurę also the spermatozoon), or another biological structure of the human being in the embryonic period of development. The ethical evaluation of gene therapy on cells of the gender line (participating in the gametogenesis, oogenesis and spermatogenesis), on gametes and on the human embryo, cannot overlook the results it incurs for the future progeny begotten by parents possessing modified genes. These therapies are still of an experimental character, and their implementation as routine treatment will not be possible yet for long time. The real risk of a serious mistake during the procedure and the unpredictability of results, undennines the sense of these practices. This evaluation can be modified in case of the therapy of gender line cells, if gene therapy becomes safe. Therapies of somatic cells are substantially fair. However, it is necessary to act with immense professionalism, to maintain the suitable degree of caution and to avoid any disproportionate risk. In the light of the ethical reflection it is possible to execute the therapeutic experiment. Therefore, such treatment is possible, when all other applied methods and drugs already failed, and the patient is in an imminent life-threatening situation.
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Keywords
Genetyka, Genetics, Terapia genowa, Gene therapies, Instrukcja "Dignitas personae", Instruction "Dignitas personae"
Citation
Teologia i Moralność, Tom 8, 2011, s. 7-24.