The Genetic Revolution and Human Rights The Oxford Amnesty Lectures 1998

The world was stunned by the announcement that scientists had successfully cloned a sheep. Suddenly, questions that had seemed merely academic or better suited to science fiction became topics for public debate. Should we clone people? Is eugenics morally defensible? Should cloning be regulated, and if so, by whom? How should genetic information about particular individuals be protected? What will be the long-term impact on cultural and racial diversity? Based on the popular Oxford Amnesty Lectures, this fascinating and thought-provoking book collects work from leaders in the field, including Hilary Putnam, Ian Wilmut (co-creator of Dolly the sheep), and Jonathan Glover. It provides an up-to-date and realistic look at many of these challenging and contentious issues. Each chapter includes an introduction to the issue by a prominent lawyer, scientist, or philosopher, and the volume features a foreword by Richard Dawkins. The Genetic Revolution and Human Rights is an invaluable guide to the potential impact of this revolutionary technology on our future.

Justine Burley is Simon Fellow in the Department of Government at the University of Manchester, and is a part-time lecturer in Politics at Exeter College, Oxford. She is the editor of Ronald Dworkin and His Critics (1999, Blackwell) and (with John Harris) of A Companion to Genetics (1999, Blackwell). She is currently working on a monograph entitled Genetic Justice, which will be part of the forthcoming OUP series, Issues in Biomedical Ethics.