Managing Human Genetics: Regulatory Approaches towards Genetic Technologies

Abstract

The conviction that genetic technologies are not a purely 'scientific' issue but a highly political and politicized field has been established as a commonly held truth long time ago. Nevertheless, whereas issues related to the social, legal and ethical implications of genetics are prominent topics in political science literature and discussions, the question of how to achieve an understanding of different regulatory approaches in different societies has hardly been addressed in a systematic manner. The objective of this panel will be to obtain insight in different approaches to regulating genetic technologies in a comparative perspective, with the aim of understanding not only the particular regulatory tools but also the underlying social and political truths that enable these policy strategies to emerge. Contrary to agricultural biotechnologies, which are strongly interwoven with trade issues and financial profits, in case of human biotechnology, 'value' is measured with different parameters. It connects in very immediate ways to prevalent societal values and understandings of what constitutes humanness and community. The fact that in contrast to agro-biotech, human biotechnology is not subject to regulation on the EU level, also illustrates the need for a deeper understanding of in what ways regulatory approaches are not just the result of pure coincidence.

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