Daniel Malkin (JD '20) Publishes Bioethics Article in Family Law Quarterly

Pepperdine Caruso Law alumnus Daniel J. Malkin (JD '20) has published the article, "Germline Editing Using CRISPR: Why A Moratorium Is Not the Solution," in Family Law Quarterly, Volume 55, Number 1, 2021. The article defends the ethicality of using CRISPR technology to repair embryonic, single-gene mutations that cause serious congenital diseases. The article argues that the U.S. should not prohibit the use of CRISPR for such purposes. 

Excerpt from "Germline Editing Using CRISPR: Why A Moratorium Is Not the Solution"

For certain applications, modifying severe single-gene diseases in the germline using CRISPR would satisfy the FDA's benefit-risk analysis. For example, where both parents will pass on the Huntington's disease mutation to their children, CRISPR may be the only potential treatment to eliminate the mutation. Evidence also shows that public opinion strongly supports such use for CRISPR to address serious medical conditions or diseases. While equal access to the therapy poses an ethical concern, the answer is to enhance access, rather than to reject treatments that could eliminate serious physical or mental impairments that would substantially limit a child's major life activities. Finally, fears of a new eugenics movement should be allayed if the FDA authorizes germline editing licenses only for therapies targeting severe single-gene diseases.