In November 2018, the announcement that genetically edited human embryos had been used for reproductive purposes caused international uproar; many observers argued that editing the human germline was unethical, particularly given the early stage of the science and the absence of appropriate oversight. We provide an overview of the implications of these events, focusing on the relevant ethical considerations for physicians addressing patient questions and concerns. The editing of the human germline for reproductive purposes should be understood against an historic backdrop of clinical research in assisted reproduction, as well as other exemplars of translational investigation. An important question raised by our growing capacity to genetically alter human embryos is how to understand the implicit social contract between science and society. To ensure that translational research continues to enjoy the historic trust placed in scientists and research organizations, it is critical that scientific and health care institutions proactively engage governments, patient advocacy organizations, and the general public in the formation of policies that guide gene editing.

中文翻译：

---

在丑闻中重新审视人类生殖编辑的伦理。

2018年11月，宣布将基因编辑的人类胚胎用于生殖目的的声明引起了国际社会的轩然大波; 许多观察家认为，编辑人类种系是不道德的，特别是考虑到科学的早期阶段以及缺乏适当的监督。我们对这些事件的含义进行了概述，重点是医生解决患者问题和疑虑的相关道德考量。在生殖辅助方面的临床研究以及翻译研究的其他范例的历史背景下，应理解出于生殖目的对人类生殖系的编辑。我们日益增长的通过基因改变人类胚胎的能力提出的一个重要问题是，如何理解科学与社会之间隐含的社会契约。