Human Genetic Information

A collection of the proceedings of the 280th Ciba Foundation Symposium held at the Haus der Universitat, Bern, Switzerland in June 1989. The papers focus on the scientific, legal, ethical, social and economic issues arising out of the ability to map and sequence the human genome.

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Human Genetic Information: Science, Law and Ethics Chairman: Sir Gustav Nossal 1990 Research into human genetics is making unprecedented progress as a result of new developments in molecular biology. We are becoming increasingly able to obtain genetic information about individual people in a way that has never before been possible. These developments offer us the potential advantages of treating or preventing genetically determined diseases (and most diseases have some genetic component). They also raise many questions - ethical and legal as well as scientific and medical. Is it desirable to map the human genome? Who has the right to know the genetic constitution of a person? What are the limits to prenatal diagnosis? Are we able to predict that disorders will develop in a particular individual? What is the legal status of personal genetic information? And what are the implications of altering the human genome for our conception of human nature and personal identity?
In this symposium a distinguished international group of geneticists, molecular biologists, physicians, moral philosophers, lawyers and theologians discuss these and other questions raised by developments in molecular genetics and by the new reproductive technology. Other Ciba Foundation Publications: Symposium No 130 Molecular approaches to human polygenic disease Chairman: Sir David Weatherall 1987 ISBN 0 471 91096 1 Symposium No 142 Genetic analysis of tumour suppression Chairman: E.J. Stanbridge 1989 ISBN 0 471 92299 4 Conference Communicating science to the public Chairman: W. M. Laetsch 1987 ISBN 0 471 91511 4 Conference The evaluation of scientific research Chairman: Sir David Phillips 1989 ISBN 0 471 92143 2