LIFE ENHANCEMENT

DE ORTÚZAR, M. G

MONTREAL

Conferencia; MCGILL BIOETHICS CONFERENCE; 2005

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

The main ethical issue regarding genetic enhancement that I will focus on is the issue of justice: the setting up of clear criteria that will determine if enhancement is a “moral limit” or a “medical need” in public health. For the purpose of this analysis, I divide the paper in two parts. In the first part, I analyze the application of one of the foremost theories of justice in healthcare, the Rawlsian theory of Norman Daniels. Focusing on the problem of distribution, I examine briefly the criteria of natural normality (disease) and normal range of opportunities proposed by Daniels. Lastly, as a way of overcoming the limitations of the natural approach of Daniels, I describe an integral approach in health care needs, and propose a “criteria of necessary minimums” to help determine under which situations there may actually be a moral duty to employ enhancement therapies.   Key words: enhancement; medical needs; distributive justice; malady; genetic determinism; public health.