乱象亟需治理,矫枉不可过正——对当前中国生命伦理学困境应对策略的思考

Facing Current Bioethical Crisis in China: It Needs Urgent Overhauling Action, but not Overcorrection

为了寻求应对“基因编辑婴儿”事件所触发的中国生命伦理危机之合适策略,回顾了最初辅助生殖技术和基因治疗技术给生命伦理学带来的巨大争议及其演变过程,结果发现,前者随着40年前第一例试管婴儿的健康降生,伦理争议最终归于平静,而后者却因20年前的第一例“基因疗法临床试验”的死亡悲剧而导致矫枉过正的政策和随后长达十余年基因疗法停滞的寒冬。目前,国家在加强对医学研究的伦理监管过程中要吸取矫枉过正的历史教训,以“海纳百川”的大国风范和“百家争鸣”的宽松学术氛围来继续催生中国的生物科技发展力及其国际竞争力。

In order to seek appropriate strategies to deal with the bioethical crisis in China triggered by the birth of"genomeedited babies",the authors reviewed the related ethical issues around the birth of the 1st in vitro fertilized baby 40years ago and one death among the 1st batch of genetic therapy 20years ago,of which the former had the ethical critics gone quiet shortly after the baby was born healthy,whilst the latter incurred overcorrecting policy and harsh winter of opposing genetic therapy lasting for more than 10years.Therefore,we should be aware of possible"overcorrection"under the current crisis when the government intended to make stricter ethical supervision and legislatorial control to overhaul the nation's scientific researches and technology development.It is critical for the government in China to continuously catalyze the biotechnological development and its internationally competitive power by allowing freedom of academic discussion and tolerating diversities of thinking styles and scientific expressions.