Prioritizing Women's Health in Germline Editing Research

Ruth M Farrell; Marsha Michie; Christopher T Scott; Rebecca Flyckt; Mary LaPlante

doi:10.1001/amajethics.2019.1071

Prioritizing Women's Health in Germline Editing Research

AMA J Ethics. 2019 Dec 1;21(12):E1071-1078. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2019.1071.

Authors

Ruth M Farrell¹, Marsha Michie², Christopher T Scott³, Rebecca Flyckt⁴, Mary LaPlante⁵

Affiliations

¹ A staff physician and the vice chair of research of the OB/GYN and Women's Health Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is also on the staff of the Center for Bioethics.
² An assistant professor in the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio.
³ The Dalton Tomlin Chair of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
⁴ The division director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and an associate professor of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve University.
⁵ A clinical assistant professor of surgery in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and A board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, and currently serves as a member of the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health.

PMID: 31876472
DOI: 10.1001/amajethics.2019.1071

Abstract

Although women are inextricably involved in the study of germline editing, their interests have not been significantly represented in debates about the evolution of genome editing technology. Discussions have taken place about effects of germline editing on women as parents and members of families, but key discussions about women's health and well-being as patients and subjects are lacking. This neglect is due in part to restrictions on uterine transfer of modified human embryos, a boundary that has now been crossed. As a result, only scant discussion has taken place about safeguards needed to ensure that women who participate in germline modification research are not exposed to disproportionate risk in exchange for benefits they might expect for future offspring. This omission sets the stage for serious ethical implications for women and their families.

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research
Embryo Research / ethics*
Female
Gene Editing / ethics*
Gene Editing / methods
Genome, Human / genetics
Germ Cells*
Humans
Women's Health* / ethics