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如果你認為現在的大政府過分地干涉你的生活，你等著看政府開始管制你小孩的基因組成的那時候。隨著人類基因工程的引入，如此的管制將無可避免的跟進，因為若缺乏管制，基因工程可能會極具災難性。[19]

[19] 只要想想一個不負責任的基因工程師可能創造很多恐怖分子的情況。

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對如此擔憂的回覆通常是提及「醫學倫理」。但倫理規範在面對醫學進步時將不能達到保護自由的目的，反而只會使事情更糟。

用於基因工程的倫理規範將實際上成為一種管制人類基因組成的手段。

某些人（大概大部分是中上階層）將決定這個或那個基因工程是「合乎道德的」而其它的則不是，所以實際上他們將會將他們自己的價值強加在廣泛人群的基因組成之上。

即使倫理規範是以完全民主的基礎下選擇出來的，多數人仍將會強加他們的價值在任何可能對何謂「合乎道德的」使用基因工程有不同想法的少數群體上。

唯一能真正保護自由的道德規範將會是那些禁止所有人類基因工程的道德規範，而你可以很肯定如此的道德規範將不可能在技術社會中被施行。

沒有任何削弱基因工程角色的規範可以維持太久，因為生物技術展現的巨大力量所帶來的誘惑是無法抗拒的，尤其是對大多數人來說，許多基因工程的應用看似明顯且明確地好（根除身體和精神疾病，給人們在今日世界生活所需的能力）。無可避免地，基因工程將會被廣泛地使用，但只會以和技術-工業體系的需求一致的方式。[20]

[20] 再舉一個醫學進步帶來不良結果的例子。假設一種可治癒癌症的可靠方法被發現了。即使因為這種治療太貴了只有菁英才用得起，其仍會大幅降低他們停止將致癌物質排入環境中的動機。

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If you think that big government interferes in your life too much NOW, just wait till the government starts regulating the genetic constitution of your children. Such regulation will inevitably follow the introduction of genetic engineering of human beings, because the consequences of unregulated genetic engineering would be disastrous. [19]

[19] Just think an irresponsible genetic engineer might create a lot of terrorists.

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The usual response to such concerns is to talk about “medical ethics.” But a code of ethics would not serve to protect freedom in the face of medical progress; it would only make matters worse. A code of ethics applicable to genetic engineering would be in effect a means of regulating the genetic constitution of human beings. Somebody (probably the upper-middle class, mostly) would decide that such and such applications of genetic engineering were “ethical” and others were not, so that in effect they would be imposing their own values on the genetic constitution of the population at large. Even if a code of ethics were chosen on a completely democratic basis, the majority would be imposing their own values on any minorities who might have a different idea of what constituted an “ethical” use of genetic engineering. The only code of ethics that would truly protect freedom would be one that prohibited ANY genetic engineering of human beings, and you can be sure that no such code will ever be applied in a technological society. No code that reduced genetic engineering to a minor role could stand up for long, because the temptation presented by the immense power of biotechnology would be irresistible, especially since to the majority of people many of its applications will seem obviously and unequivocally good (eliminating physical and mental diseases, giving people the abilities they need to get along in today’s world). Inevitably, genetic engineering will be used extensively, but only in ways consistent with the needs of the industrial- technological system. [20]

[20] For a further example of undesirable consequences of medical progress, suppose a reliable cure for cancer is discovered. Even if the treatment is too expensive to be available to any but the elite, it will greatly reduce their incentive to stop the escape of carcinogens into the environment.