The Ethics of Gene Editing

Few scientific breakthroughs have provoked as much ethical unease as precise gene editing.

很少有科学突破像精准基因编辑这样引发如此多的伦理不安。

In principle, the technique could eradicate inherited disorders that have afflicted families for generations.

原则上，这项技术可以根除困扰家庭数代之久的遗传性疾病。

The controversy intensifies, however, when edits are made to embryos rather than to individual patients.

然而，当基因编辑针对的是胚胎而不是个体患者时，争议就更加激烈了。

Such alterations would be passed down to future generations who never consented to them.

这样的改变将传给从未对此表示同意的后代。

Critics warn that the boundary between therapy and enhancement is notoriously difficult to police.

批评者警告说，治疗与增强之间的界限出了名地难以监管。

If wealthy parents could purchase advantages for their children, existing inequalities might become entrenched.

如果富裕的父母可以为孩子购买优势，现有的不平等可能会根深蒂固。

Proponents counter that refusing to prevent avoidable suffering is itself a morally fraught decision.

支持者反驳说，拒绝防止本可避免的痛苦，本身就是一个在道德上充满争议的决定。

What seems indisputable is that regulation has lagged considerably behind the pace of discovery.

似乎无可争辩的是，监管已经大大落后于科学发现的步伐。

Ultimately, these questions are too consequential to be left to scientists alone.

归根结底，这些问题影响太过重大，不能只交给科学家来决定。