Human Genome Research:: And the Challenge of Contingent Future Persons

Human Genome Research and the Challenge of Contingent Future Persons is an investigation into how the Human Genome Project is likely to affect future generations. It explores the implications these effects hold for evaluating genetic research, particularly from a theological perspective. Examining the economic, political, and philosophical issues underlying genetic research, Heller finds that some future people may bear an inordinate share of certain social costs stemming from the Project's biomedical applications. Further, the existence, numbers, and identities of those people will be contingent on decisions made based on this research. Heller investigates the theological implications of this problem, arriving at an "impersonal theocentric" approach to value in this detailed, thoughtful, and original contribution to the literature.

Jan C. Heller is Director of the Center for Ethics in Health Care at Saint Joseph's Health System in Atlanta, Georgia.