FROM GENOME EDITING TO HUMAN GENETIC ENHANCEMENT: A NEW TIME FOR DISCUSSING EUGENICS?

In the last decade several Authors strongly suggested that genome editing technologies are just related to gene therapy rejecting any eugenic discussion about them. Actually, this dispute is mainly influenced by the previous terrific consequences of eugenic measures rather than by the real consequences that genome editing technologies could have on the future societies. Here we discuss genome editing technologies as eugenic approaches in order to assess that if we continue to rebrand them as therapies, we will simply favor their market in place of their true social acceptance. At the same time, these technologies also strengthened a possible use of genetic manipulation for the human genetic enhancement, making some previous eugenic goals technically feasible. As a consequence, it is timely to discuss which kind of human enhancements we would like to accept/adopt and who will be the main drivers (parents, medical doctors, politicians, scientists, ...) of this change that will affect our future offspring.