Governance of Human Gene Editing and Transhumanism : Tasks for Today’s Bioethics

Are there any commonalities between Transhumanism and the WHO framework for global governance of human genome editing? If yes, what are they and what are the implications for Bioethics? To find possible common themes, the author applied the reflective thematic analysis (RTA) method to a set of texts on Transhumanism and a set of texts on the global governance of human genome editing. The selected transhumanist texts were the three documents Humanity+, the former World Transhumanist Association, calls the “original documents on Transhumanism” (The Transhumanist Declaration, Transhumanist FAQ 3.0, The Transhumanist Manifesto v.4). The selected texts to represent the global governance of human genome editing were the three documents published by WHO on the topic in 2021, the only plan for the global governance of this biotechnology to date (Human genome editing: a framework for governance, Human genome editing: recommendations, Human genome editing: position paper). As a result of the application of the RTA method to the selected texts, the author presents and explains three common themes.

What does this mean for our society? What are the implications of the current situation? What are the tasks for Bioethics? There are emerging questions on the human condition and new concerns to be addressed by Bioethics, such as the do-it-yourself mentality. The limitations of “therapy vs. enhancement” ask for serious work on a better bioethical paradigm. This book analyses the object, intentions, and circumstances of enhancement in general and recommends the principle of proportionality. The author questions the predominant values and propose a refinement to some conceptions of autonomy, protection, and equality. Finally, this book offers key elements for the bioethical evaluation of each type of human genome editing. Recognising the current situation and working on the identified tasks has become crucial for contemporary Bioethics.