Motulsky A G
Hum Genet Suppl. 1978(1):185-92.
Many societal and bioethical problems are raised when our knowledge of genetic variation is translated into public policy. The various dilemmas faced by imperfect knowledge are discussed. The difficulties of issuing regulations in the face of uncertain scientific knowledge are considerable. Potential variation in nutritional requirements due to biochemical variation needs to be faced by nutritional scientists and policy makers. The problems of discrimination against carriers of the currently testable genetic traits are discussed. Screening of workers susceptible to industrial injury for genetic reasons is being started. However, industry may escape its responsibilities for industrial hygiene by concentrating on susceptibility testing--often in the face of poor data. A variety of other issues such as the "false positive" test and genetic identity cards are discussed. Public policy dealing with human genetic variation must be based on accurate genetic data. At that point, careful assessment of the societal impact of the policy needs to be considered before implementation. Problems of coping with human genetic variation are of increasing importance for developed societies but remain a low priority item for developing societies that face current problems of malnutrition and infectious disease.
当我们将对基因变异的了解转化为公共政策时，会引发许多社会和生物伦理问题。文中讨论了因知识不完善而面临的各种困境。面对不确定的科学知识发布法规存在相当大的困难。营养科学家和政策制定者需要面对因生化变异导致的营养需求潜在差异。文中讨论了对目前可检测基因特征携带者的歧视问题。出于遗传原因对易受工伤的工人进行筛查已开始实施。然而，企业可能会通过专注于易感性测试来逃避其在工业卫生方面的责任——而这往往是在数据不佳的情况下进行的。文中还讨论了诸如“假阳性”测试和基因身份证等各种其他问题。处理人类基因变异的公共政策必须基于准确的基因数据。届时，在实施政策之前需要仔细考虑对社会影响的评估。应对人类基因变异的问题对发达社会日益重要，但对于面临当前营养不良和传染病问题的发展中社会来说，仍是一个低优先级事项。
