I believe Jankui proceeded with his experiment because he wanted to prove a point to his peers about how ethical restrictions are limiting clinical advancements of genome editing applications. His peers immediately dismissed his actions and deemed them to be unethical. A few of them chose to wait to pass judgment until they had been given ample time to read into the specific methods and purposes of the case, yet in time, they too found his actions to be reprehensible. Jankui maintains that he received approval for his experiment, but he used an unaccredited committee at a private hospital to approve his research, which to me suggests that he knew he was not taking the appropriate pre-clinical measures. In my opinion, I think all of Jankui’s prior projects and assistants should be put under scrutiny for possible ethics violations. For this specific situation. I think he should personally be responsible for making reparations to the families involved in the study, as well as take responsibility for any of the twins’ health issues that arise in the future. I do not believe he should be able to lead any research projects in the future and only act in limited roles, if deemed appropriate.
Through the years, I have heard about scientific misconduct and ethics violations, but I couldn’t recall many specific instances. After a quick search I came across the name Hwang Woo-Suk. Woo-Suk was a South Korean scientist who was highly regarded for his advancements in cloning technologies. He claimed to have successfully cloned human embryos that yielded Stem cells, but it was ultimately revealed that he purchased the eggs from members of his lab and had been releasing fabricated data to the public. He was tried for fraud and received a two-year suspended sentence. This case is similar to Jankui’s because they both deal with the sanctity of human life, and made decisions without regard for standing ethical guidelines. Situations like these are extremely detrimental on the public’s opinion of medicine and science. People have a tendency not to trust modern advancements unless they are the set of individuals who would most benefit from the new technology. For highly regarded scientists to throw their ethical obligations out of the window and proceed with research that pushes boundaries with out first taking steps to ensure the clinical effects won’t out weigh the benefits is wildly irresponsible and has the power to taint the public opinion. This could result in reduced funding or fewer doctor’s visits out of fear. The idea of edits to the human genome and so called "designer babies" even calls up ideas of eugenics and "advanced" or modified humans which leads to a plethora of unsavory moments in history, which is why these topics must be handled so carefully.
Craine, A. (2019). Hwang Woo-Suk. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hwang-Woo-Suk
Li, J. (2019). Experiments that led to the first gene-edited babies: the ethical failings and the urgent need for better governance. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 20(1): 32-38. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6331330
Normile, D. (2018). CRISPR bombshell: Chinese researcher claims to have created gene-edited twins. Science mag. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/crispr-bombshell-chinese-researcher-claims-have-created-gene-edited-twins