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Advancements in science and technology have not only brought hope to humankind to produce disease-free offspring, but also offer possibilities to genetically enhance the next generation’s traits and capacities. Human genetic enhancement, however, raises complex ethical questions, such as to what extent should it be allowed? It has been a great challenge for humankind to develop robust ethical guidelines for human genetic enhancement that address both public concerns and needs. We believe that research about public concerns is necessary prior to developing such guidelines, yet the issues have not been thoroughly investigated in many countries, including Malaysia. Since the novel often functions as a medium for the public to express their concerns, this paper explores ethical concerns about human genetic enhancement expressed in four Malay science fiction novels namely Klon, Leksikon Ledang, Transgenesis Bisikan Rimba and Transgenik Sifar. Religion has a strong influence on the worldview of the Malays therefore some concerns such as playing God are obviously religious. Association of the negative image of scientists as well as the private research companies with the research on human genetic enhancement reflects the authors’ concerns about the main motivations for conducting such research and the extent to which such research will benefit society.

This paper considers children’s rights with respect to genetic enhancement (GE). It is focused on the futuristic prospect of postnatal GE, namely, genetic modifications in vivo, of actual existing individuals. More specifically, the paper examines whether, in a future reality where pre- and postnatal human GE is safely and prevalently practiced, a child would have a right to be genetically enhanced by her parents or guardians, as well as the right not to be genetically enhanced. It is in fact the postnatal phase, inhabited by persons of indisputable moral status, subject of rights against others, which makes the child’s putative right (not) to be genetically enhanced a relevant and legitimate subject of exploration. Since postnatal GE is a futuristic technology, an appropriate, concrete, rights-discourse has not yet been developed. In this paper I therefore, attempt to initiate such discourse, by identifying, through legal analysis, potential sources for the child's right to be genetically enhanced, and theorize theorizing about its nature (derivative, or a newly created independent right; positive or negative right). I begin by considering several (mostly) contemporary candidate core rights, from which the child’s right (not) to be genetically enhanced could potentially derive, ; next, I consider the child’s right not to be genetically enhanced, through ethical analysis; finally, I and then look into the merits of creating such a novel right of the child. I conclude, that the direct translation of the child's interests in being genetically enhanced, into any kind of recognised positive or negative right – whether derivative or a newly emerging independent right – is unlikely. As per the putative child's right not to be genetically enhanced postnatally, I determine that such a right could be recognized as a relative right, balanced against parental autonomy in rearing and shaping one's child.

La thèse examine les liens entre la vision pluraliste de la science et l’éthique de la médecine tibétaine et les nouvelles pratiques en médecine occidentale, soit la longévité et la recherche sur la génétique amélioratrice. Elle cherche à cerner l’apport que la médecine tibétaine peut apporter aux recherches occidentales sur la longévité et la génétique humaine amélioratrice. Elle traite donc d’un enjeu social clé et du débat qui s’y rattache. La découverte et la description sont centrales à la méthodologie et informent l’analyse. Nous avons examiné dans un premier temps, les travaux de recherche sur la longévité reliée à la génétique amélioratrice (mémoire et muscles). Nous nous sommes penchés également sur les fondements de la médecine tibétaine en tant que système intégré. Pour ce faire, nous avons traité des notions telles que la santé, l’identité, la perfection et l’immortalité. Notre cadre conceptuel repose sur la théorie bouddhiste de l’interdépendance qui se caractérise par la formulation de catégories qui ensuite sont synthétisées dans l’essence; les deux niveaux d’interprétation de la théorie sont décrits en détail avant de passer à une comparaison avec la notion de complexité occidentale. La médecine tibétaine de fait présente un système où l’éthique et la science sont intégrées et se prête bien à une comparaison avec la vision pluraliste de la science à partir d’une perspective éthique/bioéthique. Les commentaires recueillis auprès des experts nous ont permis de cerner comment la science, l’éthique et l’amélioration de la longévité sont définies au sein des deux paradigmes de l’Est et de l’Ouest. Nos résultats montrent six points qui se dégagent au terme de cette recherche permettent de jeter un pont sur la vision pluraliste de ces paradigmes. Ceux-ci transcendent les points de vue doctrinaux individuels de religions ainsi que du monde scientifique occidental. Plus que tout, ils laissent entrevoir un cadre de références novatrices qui contribuera à la prise de décision à l’égard de questionnements bioéthiques., This thesis identified and examined the links between the pluralist vision of Western science and the ethical studies of Tibetan medicine, and sought to determine how the bridging of pluralistic visions with Tibetan medicine might contribute to Western research on longevity and human genetic enhancement. The investigation focused on the current debate in these latter two fields. Discovery and description were central to the methodology and informed the analysis. Initially, we examined the research on longevity related to human genetic enhancement (memory and muscle), which addresses the limitation of the physical body, and explored its ramifications through such concepts as healthism, identity, perfection and immortality. Then examining the foundation of Tibetan medicine as an integrated system, we contrasted contemporary longevity research with the Eastern model, in which individual existence and experience escape limitations. We further addressed brain science research and the Tibetan medicine continuum, the unique quality of the latter being that the mind is used as a tool and is philosophically linked with Buddhism. Finally, utilizing the Buddhist conceptual framework of the interdependent theory, which is characterized by formulating categories of phenomena that are then synthesized into their essence, the theory’s two levels of the interpretation of phenomenal reality were described in detail before moving to a comparison with notions of Western complexity. Tibetan medicine employs an integrated system in which ethics and science are interwoven, providing the base for a comparison with the pluralist vision of science from an ethics/bioethics perspective. The insights gathered from interviews with experts in various fields highlighted how science, ethics and longevity enhancement can be addressed within these two paradigms. The research findings led to six points that bridge both the Eastern and Western paradigms by transcending the doctrinal standpoints of individual religions, ethical systems and sciences, and laying the basis for an innovative framework by providing concrete reference elements for decision-making in regard to bioethical questionings.