Genetic engineering and the fine line between the concepts of enhancement and cure

Abstract

With the advent and advances in genetic engineering, the scientific community was faced with challenges of a moral nature, which require studies and discussions on the most diverse aspects of this topic. Among the points that deserve our attention, and that we consider elementary, concerns the clarity and objectivity of the concepts that appear in the moral debate in the field of genetics. This article aims to present the relationship between genetic engineering and the concept of enhancement and cure from an ethical perspective. We will begin by presenting a brief background on the advancement of medical technology and the need for ethical discussions today. Next, we will discuss the models of approach to the concept of enhancement by the different theorists and schools that discuss the subject. Next, we will move towards understanding the fine line between enhancement and cure and whether it is possible to establish an objective demarcation between one thing and another.

Key words: genetic engineering; enhancement; cure; bioethics.