Making All the Children above Average: Ethical and Regulatory Concerns for Pediatricians in Pediatric Enhancement Research

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 48, No. 5

10 Pages Posted: 24 Feb 2013

See all articles by Jessica Wilen Berg

Jessica Wilen Berg

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Maxwell Mehlman

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Daniel B. Rubin

University of Michigan Law School, Law School; University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Health Management and Policy

Eric Kodish

Cleveland Clinic - Department of Bioethics

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

Building on the knowledge generated by the long history of disease-oriented research, the next few decades will witness an explosion of biomedical enhancements to make people faster, stronger, smarter, less forgetful, happier, prettier, and live longer. Growing interest in pediatric enhancements is likely to stimulate the conduct of enhancement research involving children. However, guidelines for the protection of human subjects were developed for investigations of therapeutic modalities. To date, virtually no attention has been paid to whether these rules would be appropriate for investigations to establish the safety and efficacy of technologies intended for enhancement rather than therapeutic uses and, if not, whether ethically acceptable rules could be designed. This article discusses whether the current guidelines for pediatric research provide appropriate protections for pediatric subjects in enhancement research and considers what additional protections might be necessary.

Keywords: enhancement, research, genetics, ethics

Suggested Citation

Berg, Jessica Wilen and Mehlman, Maxwell and Rubin, Daniel B. and Kodish, Eric, Making All the Children above Average: Ethical and Regulatory Concerns for Pediatricians in Pediatric Enhancement Research (2009). Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 48, No. 5, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2223342

Jessica Wilen Berg

Case Western Reserve University School of Law ( email )

11075 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-7148
United States
216-368-6363 (Phone)
216-368-2086 (Fax)

Maxwell Mehlman

Case Western Reserve University School of Law ( email )

11075 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-7148
United States

Daniel B. Rubin (Contact Author)

University of Michigan Law School, Law School ( email )

Ann Arbor, MI
United States

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Health Management and Policy ( email )

109 Observatory
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
United States

Eric Kodish

Cleveland Clinic - Department of Bioethics ( email )

9500 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44195
United States

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