The author addresses the new ethical and conceptual uncertainties posed by the application
of gene-splicing techniques to human beings, an application of technology that raises
complex ethical and social public policy issues. The author reviews the advances in the
medical uses of gene-splicing, and addresses their consequences on (1) human genetic
makeup;(2) intergenerational responsibilities;(3) the distribution of social benefits; and (4)
the conception of what a person is. He describes the first two effects as posing new ethical …