RT Journal Article
T1 Human germline genome editing: Is there room for reinterpreting Article 13 of the Oviedo Convention?
A1 Bernardo Álvarez, María Ángela
AB Article 13 of the Oviedo Convention (the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine) is a cornerstone of the legal regulation of  human  genome  editing.  However,  the  wording  of  this  article  is  open  to  significant  interpretation, particularly regarding the phrase 'genome of any descendants' and its application to germline interventions. This  article  analyses  the  interpretative  difficulties  of  this  provision  and  proposes  a  new  interpretation, arguing  that  certain  genetic  interventions  do  not  modify  the  genome  of  descendants per  se,  but  rather manipulate   the   natural   randomness.   By   analysingparadigmatic   cases   such   as   cystic   fibrosis   and Huntington's disease, the paper demonstrates that human genome editing could potentiallyproduce results that occur naturally with certain probabilities without introducing new gene variants. The paper concludes with proposals for regulatory reform to strengthen legal certainty in this area.
PB Observatori de Bioètica i Dret
YR 2026
FD 2026-02-16
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/132460
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/132460
LA eng
NO Bernardo Álvarez, M. Ángela. (2026). Human  germline  genome  editing:  Is  there  room  for  reinterpreting Article 13 of the Oviedo Convention? Revista De Bioética Y Derecho, (66), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1344/rbd2026.66.51509
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
NO Agencia Estatal de Investigación
NO FEDER
DS Docta Complutense
RD 20 mar 2026