III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 275 

Calling for international ethical standards in genome editing research. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 15, 2019 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. REED) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for international ethical standards in genome editing 

research. 

Whereas genome editing enables scientists to make changes 

to the genome in organisms by removing, adding, or replacing genetic material; 

Whereas there is tremendous hope that genome editing technologies will lead to new therapies and cures for diseases; 

Whereas unintended effects during the development of new 

medical technologies can stop or delay the development of 

successful new therapies; 

Whereas pregnancies using genome-edited human embryos 

have not been shown to be safe; 

Whereas the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical 

Association— 


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(1) was first adopted in 1964; 

(2) has been revised over time; and 

(3) has provided guidance to the international community on ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects; 

Whereas there are media reports— 

(1) of experiments carried out overseas in 2018 

using genome-edited human embryos in pregnancies; 

(2) that those experiments resulted in the live birth 

of 2 babies; 

(3) that the primary scientist responsible for those 

experiments recognized that the experiments were carried 

out too quickly and without necessary open dialogue with 

regulators, the scientific community, and the public; and 

(4) that an additional pregnancy with genome-edited 

human embryos is underway; 

Whereas the reported experiments in 2018 using genomeedited human embryos in pregnancies failed to meet the 

standards of human research ethics called for in the Declaration of Helsinki; 

Whereas the National Academies of Science, Engineering, 

and Medicine has concluded that more research and 

broadly inclusive public deliberation are needed before 

clinical trials of germline editing of human embryos and 

gametes should be permitted; 

Whereas the National Institutes of Health has declared support for an international moratorium on clinical application of germline genome editing and is working with 

other Federal agencies, international agencies, health and 

science organizations, patient communities, and the public to engage in a substantive debate about the benefits 

and risks of germline genome editing research; 


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Whereas the World Health Organization has created an expert advisory committee on developing standards for the 

governance and oversight of human genome editing; 

Whereas an international commission has been convened by 

the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of the United 

Kingdom to identify the scientific, medical, and ethical 

requirements that should be considered before heritable 

human genome editing should proceed; and 

Whereas, as of July 2019— 

(1) the use of genome-edited human embryos for reproduction is prohibited in many countries; and 

(2) no international agreement exists as to whether 

clinical trials using genome-edited human embryos should 

proceed: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) opposes the experiments that resulted in 

3 pregnancies using genome-edited human embryos de4 scribed in November 2018 media reports; 

5 (2) recognizes that the question of whether to 

6 proceed with heritable genome editing touches on all 

7 of humanity; 

8 (3) supports the international commission con9 vened by the National Academy of Medicine, the Na10 tional Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society 

11 of the United Kingdom to develop an international 

12 framework regarding human germline editing; and 


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1 (4) encourages the Secretary of State to work 

2 with other nations and international organizations, 

3 including the United Nations and the World Health 

4 Organization, to forge an international consensus re5 garding the limits of ethical clinical use of genome6 edited human embryos. 

Æ 


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