Bioethical Concerns in a Culture of Human Enhancement (original) (raw)
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Gene-doping: sport, values & bioethics
The ethics of human genetics. Strasburg: Council of …, 2003
This paper problematises the ethics of genetic modification (GM) in sport by outlining the perspectives of four organisations which have recently spent time considering the subject: the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the United States President's Council on Bioethics, and the Australian Law Reforms Commission. The paper outlines scientific developments in genetic research, which might make realisable the genetic engineering of athletes. Subsequently, an overview of the varied perspectives of the four organisations is given, by articulating the moral discourses which is present through each. Various arguments are recognised as having importance in reaching a conclusion about whether GM in sport should be legal or not. In particular, these arguments comprise concerns about safety, fairness, and moral character. It is suggested that reflective bioethical investigations can assist the development of a coherent ethical policy about genetics in sport, by informing sports ethics with a rich basis of literature dealing with such central concepts as personhood, autonomy, and humanness. In conclusion, it is argued that sport ought not approach GM in a comparable manner to how it has approached doping, as GM entails a much wider breadth of ethical implications, often unrelated to sport.
Gene Doping and the Ethics of Sport: between Enhancement and Posthumanism
The genetic enhancement in the sport performance seems unavoidable and therefore, it is necessary establish rational criteria on genetic doping. A strategy to establish these normative parameters is to attend to two criteria: the extension of the effects of the treatment and the type of genetic intervention.
As Australia's peak high-performance sport agency, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has developed this position statement to address the implications of recent advances in the field of genetics and the ramifications for the health and well-being of athletes. Genetic testing has proven of value in the practice of clinical medicine. There are, however, currently no scientific grounds for the use of genetic testing for athletic performance improvement, sport selection or talent identification. Athletes and coaches should be discouraged from using direct-to-consumer genetic testing because of its lack of validation and replicability and the lack of involvement of a medical practitioner in the process. The transfer of genetic material or genetic modification of cells for performance enhancement is gene doping and should not be used on athletes. There are, however, valid roles for genetic research and the AIS supports genetic research which aims to enhance understanding of athlete susceptibility to injury or illness. Genetic research is only to be conducted after careful consideration of a range of ethical concerns which include the provision of adequate informed consent. The AIS is committed to providing leadership in delivering an ethical framework that protects the well-being of athletes and the integrity of sport, in the rapidly changing world of genomic science.
Sport and Enhancement in the Age of Human Rights: Genetic Testing as a Case Study
Philosophies, 2021
The paper focuses on the ethical–legal implications of a specific area of scientific and technological progress for the recognition of sport as a human right, which is the field of genetic advances with regard to application of genetic testing for non-medical purposes, and in particular for talent identification (genetic talent identification). As with most biomedical innovations, this use of genetic tests has both constructive and more ethical–legal problematic implications. The attempt made by this paper is to highlight controversial implications of genetic talent identification tests for the recognition of sport as human right.
Genetic Testing and Sports Medicine Ethics
Sports Medicine, 2009
Sports medicine ethics is neither a well established branch of sports medicine nor of medical ethics. It is therefore important to raise to more general awareness some of the significant ethical implications of sports medicine practices. The field of genetics in sports is likewise in its infancy and raises significant ethical concerns. It is not yet clear how genetics will alter our understanding of human potential and performance in sports. While a number of professional medical bodies accept genetic interventions of a therapeutic nature, we argue that the use of genetic technologies to predict sports potential may well breach both the European bioethics convention and North American anti-discrimination legislation, which are designed to support important ethical ideals and the ongoing commitment of the physician to the welfare of their patient. We highlight further ethical problems associated with confidentiality and consent that may arise in genetic testing as opposed to more conventional methods of testing in sports medicine. We conclude that genetic testing in sport that is not strictly limited to the protection of the athlete against harm, should be viewed in a very sceptical light by sports medicine professionals.
Genetic Doping in Sports: A Biological and Legal Examination!
Journal of Advanced Zoology, 2023
Doping is commonly perceived as a moral and ethical violation. This matter is of global significance. Doping is the illicit use of certain substances and methods to enhance sports performance and stamina. This is accomplished by consuming these medications, which enhance the body's ability to supply a larger quantity of oxygenation to the muscles. However, the ingestion of these chemicals has a multitude of detrimental effects on an individual's well-being, encompassing but not restricted to infections, allergies, cardiovascular diseases, ischemic stroke, pulmonary embolism, hypertension, acne, male erectile dysfunction, and disturbances in women's menstrual cycles. Therefore, doping can directly impact sporting events. The ongoing development of novel drug delivery techniques presents a formidable obstacle to the battle against doping, rendering it progressively arduous for experts to detect these chemicals and medications. The government must remain updated on the latest advancements in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and implement steps to regulate their usage to ensure fair competition. This article aims to comprehensively examine the practices of gene doping in athletics, with a specific emphasis on their biological and legal examination.
Frontiers in Genetics, 2017
While gene doping and other technological means of sport enhancement have become a topic of ethical debate, a major outcome from genomic research in sports is often linked to the regulation of doping. In particular, researchers within the field of anti-doping science, a regulatory science that aims to develop scientific solutions for regulating doped athletes, have conducted genomic research on anabolic-androgenic steroids. Genomic knowledge on anabolic-androgenic steroids, a knowledge base that has been produced to improve doping regulation, has caused the ‘geneticization’ of cultural objects such as ethnic identities and dietary habits. Through examining how anti-doping genomic knowledge and its media representation unnecessarily reify cultural objects in terms of genomics, I argue that Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) research programs in human enhancement should include the social impacts of anti-doping science in their discussions. Furthermore, this article will propose that ELSI scholars begin their academic analysis on anti-doping science by engaging with the recent ELSI scholarship on genomics and race and consider the regulatory and political natures of anti-doping research.