人类基因编辑研究自由的法律界限与责任

The Legal Boundaries and Liability of the Freedom of Human Gene Editing Research

在中国现行法律体系中,人类基因编辑研究自由既属于宪法上作为基本权利的科研自由范畴,亦是民法上行动自由的涵摄对象。这就要求,作为主观权利的人类基因编辑研究自由应在法律允许的范围内展开,不得危害国家安全、损害社会公共利益、危害人体健康、违反伦理道德,否则应承担相应的法律责任。对于违反法律导致的民事责任,即使现行法中并没有明确的专门调整规则,在解释论上也可通过法律解释规则的运用而予确定。至于刑事责任,由于受罪刑法定、人权保障等原则的严格控制,很难在解释论上获得彻底解决,应交由立法机关审慎处理。

In China,s current legal system, the freedom ofhuman gene editing research falls not only into the category of scientific research freedom which is one of the basic rights in the constitution, but also into the category of action freedom in civil law. This requires that, as subjective right, the freedom ofhuman gene editing research should be carried out within the scope permitted by law, and should not endanger national security, harm social public interests, endanger human health, or violate ethics and morality. Otherwise, the researcher should bear corresponding legal responsibilities. As for civil liability for violation of legal restrictions, even if there are no specific and special regulations in the current law, it can also be determined through the use of legal interpretation rules. As for administrative liability and criminal liability, especially the latter, it is restricted by principles such as legally prescribed punishment for a specified crime, and human rights protection and therefore should be handled carefully by the legislation since it is difficult to solve this problem through legal interpretation rules.