试论人类基因编辑的伦理界限——从道德、哲学和宗教的角度看“贺建奎事件”

A Discussion on Ethical Boundaries of Gene Editing for Humans:The “He Jiankui Event” Viewed from Moral, Philosophical and Religious Perspectives

现行的基因伦理学和生命伦理学有许多合理之处,如对基因编辑技术应用的严格限制和对增强性基因编辑技术的禁止。但是,对于生殖系基因编辑技术的研究和应用,现行的基因伦理学虽有警告,但却不加禁止,甚至在其大方向上给以鼓励,这不能不说是一种严重的不足或缺陷。为此有必要引入'生殖系基因编辑禁止原则'。这些基因伦理原则是以自然宗教和人类中心主义为其形而上学基础的,目的是尽可能地保持人类基因池的纯洁性。自然宗教是与科学并行不悖、相互促进的广义宗教,无论在西方还是在中国都是源远流长的。为从源头上杜绝'贺建奎事件'的再次发生,我们应该双管齐下:一方面建立健全规章制度,另一方面为规章制度奠定适当的形而上学基础。

There are many reasonable points in current genetic ethics and bioethics,which include restrictions on the application of gene editing technology and the prohibition of the enhancive gene editing.However,in terms of the use and study of germline gene editing,current genetic ethics have only issued a warning rather than any prohibition;they even give it encouragement in the general direction.This has to be considered as a serious inadequacy or defect of current genetic ethics.For all of this,it is necessary to introduce the‘principle of prohibiting germline gene editing’.This kind of principle of genetic ethics is based on natural religion and anthropocentrism,which can be regarded as its metaphysical foundations,with the purpose of keeping the human gene pool as pure as possible.Natural religion is a religion in the broad sense that can coexist peacefully with and promote science.It has a long tradition in both the West and China.In order to prevent another‘He Jiankui event’,we should work along two lines:on the one hand,we should establish and improve the rules and regulations under discussion;on the other hand,we should lay the appropriate metaphysical foundations for those rules and regulations.