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29 Am. J.L. & Med. 439 (2003)
Procreative Liberty in the Era of Genomics

handle is hein.journals/amlmed29 and id is 441 raw text is: American Journal of Law & Medicine, 29 (2003): 439-87 © 2003 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics Boston University School of Law Procreative Liberty in the Era of Genomics John A. Robertsont I. INTRODUCTION: ETHICAL AND POLICY CHALLENGES OF THE GENOME Twentieth century biology began with the rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's work on peas and ended with the sequencing of the human genome. In between came Thomas Morgan's studies of fruit flies, the grand synthesis between genetics and evolutionary biology in the 1930s, and Watson and Crick's publication in 1953 of the double helix structure of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA), the substance in the nucleus of cells, which carries the genetic code of all eukaryotic life.' The genetics of the second half of the century focused on learning how DNA coded for proteins, how to splice, clone, and recombine pieces of DNA, and how genetic mutations caused disease. In the late 1980s, a project to identify the actual sequence of all 3.2 billion base pairs of the human genome began.2 In June 1999, President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair announced that a working draft of the human genome was complete, with the final completed draft to 99.9% accuracy expected in May 2003, fifty years after the publication of Watson and Crick's landmark paper.3 This remarkable achievement now provides scientists with the tools for understanding the molecular details of how living cells function and evolve, and thus the means for diagnosing, treating, and preventing many diseases. It will also lead to applications in reproduction, in personal and kinship identity, and possibly in social control. Increasing geneticization of medical, reproductive, and social spheres of life will bring many benefits, but may also lead to public and private t Vinson & Elkins Chair, University of Texas School of Law. The author is grateful to participants in the Yale Legal Theory Workshop, to Jane Cohen, Rebecca Dresser, and Richard Markovits for helpful comments on earlier drafts, and to the National Human Genome Research Institute for support (#R03 HG002509-02). I James Watson & Francis Crick, A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid, 171 NATURE 737 (1953). For the best history of these events, see HORACE FREELAND JUDSON, THE EIGHTH DAY OF CREATION (1996). See also KEVIN DAVIES, CRACKING THE GENOME: INSIDE THE RACE TO UNLOCK HUMAN DNA (2001). 2 Nicholas Wade, Reading the Book of Life: The Overview; Genetic Code of Human Life Is Cracked by Scientists, N.Y. TIMES, June 27, 2000, at Al. 3 Nicholas Wade, Scientists Complete Rough Draft of Human Genome, N.Y. TIMES, June 27, 2000, at AI.

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