Genetic enhancement: Symposium addresses medical, legal questions

DNA strandAs genetic research comes closer to making it possible to select a child’s eye color or I.Q., or find out if cancer is likely to kill a family member, medical and legal experts are wrestling with the implications for society.

On Nov. 6, scientists, physicians and legal scholars will gather at Wake Forest University for the public symposium, “Genetic Enhancement: Social Values and Personal Autonomy in the 21st Century,” to present talks on gene therapy, trait selection, the fair use of genetic technology, and other thorny issues related to DNA research.

“If people begin to use genetic technologies not just to fight disease, but to enhance abilities, that raises questions of social equality,” said Wake Forest Professor of Law Mark Hall, an organizer of the event. “Do those with greater resources have greater access? Do we create a superhuman master class? Should genetic enhancement be regulated or prohibited?”

The symposium will address some of those questions. Presentations will be made from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Benson University Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Registration for the symposium is free. Audience members are invited to attend individual lectures or the entire series. For information or to register, call the Wake Forest Law Review office at 336-758-5439.

Following is a list of presentations:

The event is sponsored by the Wake Forest School of Medicine and the Wake Forest School of Law. The symposium is part of “Science and Technology: the Next Millennium,” a yearlong celebration of scientific inquiry and the approaching millennium. Printed versions of some of the presentations are included in the current issue of the Wake Forest Law Review.


Categories: Happening at Wake, Research & Discovery, University Announcements

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Media Contact

Cheryl Walker
media@wfu.edu
336.758.5237