Framing and legitimating EU legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies: key facets and functions of an imaginary

Aurélie Mahalatchimy; Pin Lean Lau; Phoebe Li; Mark L. Flear

doi:10.1093/jlb/lsaa080

Framing and legitimating EU legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies: key facets and functions of an imaginary

Aurélie Mahalatchimy^*
, Pin Lean Lau
, Phoebe Li
, Mark L. Flear

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

91 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Gene-editing technologies, ie those able to make changes in the DNA of an organism, are the object of global competition and a regulatory race between countries and regions. There is an attempt to craft legal frameworks protective enough for users, but flexible enough for developers of gene-editing technologies. This article examines the imaginary built into the framing of EU-level legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies and identifies its three key related facets: the tension around naturalness; safeguarding morality and ethics; and the pursuit of medical objectives for the protection of human health. Concerns around the use of gene-editing technologies in relation to eugenics and human enhancement have produced a multifaceted imaginary. We argue that this imaginary not only places a limit on EU-level regulation, despite a strong EU competence in respect of the internal market, but also seeks to ensure its legitimation.

Original language	English
Article number	lsaa080
Number of pages	30
Journal	Journal of Law and the Biosciences
Volume	8
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsaa080
Publication status	Published - 16 Aug 2021

Keywords

European Union
framing
gene editing
imaginaries
law
science and technology studies

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine (miscellaneous)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)
Law

Access to Document

10.1093/jlb/lsaa080Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Framing and legitimating EU legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies: key facets and functions of an imaginary
Copyright 2021 the authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited.
Final published version, 496 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

1 Public lecture/debate/seminar

Flear and Ashcroft (eds), ‘Law, Biomedical Technoscience, and Imaginaries’ (2021) (Inaugural Special Issue) Journal of Law and the Biosciences Launch (Harvard, Duke and Stanford)
Flear, M. (Chair), Ashcroft, R. (Speaker), Cohen, G. (Speaker), Townend, D. (Speaker), Laurie, G. (Participant), Lau, P. L. (Participant), Mahalatchimy, A. (Speaker), Lee, P. (Participant), Sorbie, A. (Participant), Gueddana, W. (Participant), Pickersgill, M. (Participant), Karpin, I. (Participant), Mykitiuk, R. (Participant) & Møllebæk, M. (Speaker)
04 Feb 2021
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Public lecture/debate/seminar

10 Citations
2 Other contribution
1 Article
1 Special issue

Expectations as techniques of legitimation? Imagined futures through global bioethics standards for health research
Flear, M. L., 16 Aug 2021, In: Journal of Law and the Biosciences. 8, 2, 30 p., lsaa086.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
6 Citations (Scopus)

301 Downloads (Pure)
Law, biomedical technoscience, and imaginaries
Flear, M. L. (Editor) & Ashcroft, R. (Editor), 16 Aug 2021, In: Journal of Law and the Biosciences. 8, 2, p. 1-6 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue › peer-review

Open Access
File
5 Citations (Scopus)

55 Downloads (Pure)
Towards Further Dialogue Between Law and Science and Technology Studies
Flear, M., 25 Nov 2021
Research output: Other contribution

Open Access

Cite this

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title = "Framing and legitimating EU legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies: key facets and functions of an imaginary",

abstract = "Gene-editing technologies, ie those able to make changes in the DNA of an organism, are the object of global competition and a regulatory race between countries and regions. There is an attempt to craft legal frameworks protective enough for users, but flexible enough for developers of gene-editing technologies. This article examines the imaginary built into the framing of EU-level legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies and identifies its three key related facets: the tension around naturalness; safeguarding morality and ethics; and the pursuit of medical objectives for the protection of human health. Concerns around the use of gene-editing technologies in relation to eugenics and human enhancement have produced a multifaceted imaginary. We argue that this imaginary not only places a limit on EU-level regulation, despite a strong EU competence in respect of the internal market, but also seeks to ensure its legitimation.",

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AU - Flear, Mark L.

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AB - Gene-editing technologies, ie those able to make changes in the DNA of an organism, are the object of global competition and a regulatory race between countries and regions. There is an attempt to craft legal frameworks protective enough for users, but flexible enough for developers of gene-editing technologies. This article examines the imaginary built into the framing of EU-level legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies and identifies its three key related facets: the tension around naturalness; safeguarding morality and ethics; and the pursuit of medical objectives for the protection of human health. Concerns around the use of gene-editing technologies in relation to eugenics and human enhancement have produced a multifaceted imaginary. We argue that this imaginary not only places a limit on EU-level regulation, despite a strong EU competence in respect of the internal market, but also seeks to ensure its legitimation.

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KW - framing

KW - gene editing

KW - imaginaries

KW - law

KW - science and technology studies

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DO - 10.1093/jlb/lsaa080

M3 - Article

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Framing and legitimating EU legal regulation of human gene-editing technologies: key facets and functions of an imaginary

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Activities

Flear and Ashcroft (eds), ‘Law, Biomedical Technoscience, and Imaginaries’ (2021) (Inaugural Special Issue) Journal of Law and the Biosciences Launch (Harvard, Duke and Stanford)

Research output

Expectations as techniques of legitimation? Imagined futures through global bioethics standards for health research

Law, biomedical technoscience, and imaginaries

Towards Further Dialogue Between Law and Science and Technology Studies

Cite this