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BOOK REVIEW
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Genetically Modified Athletes
By Melissa Donais
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ATHLETES: THE ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF GENETIC TECHNOLOGY IN SPORT
By Andy Miah
Routledge, 208 pp., $35.95
A young man, muscles taut and gleaming in the moonlight, lies on a sterile bed. A doctor walks in, papers are signed, and lightning cracks. The man is now the fastest human on Earth with the best-engineered running genes money can buy. Far from a Frankenstein fantasy, the reality of genetic modification is one that has policy makers scratching their heads. In Genetically Modified Athletes, Andy Miah explores the ethics of genetic modification in the sporting arena. As scientists decode the building blocks of life and learn which genes control specific actions and thinking processes, we may soon have the technology genetically to modify humans. Organizations such as the US President's Council on Bioethics have already met to discuss the effects that genetically modified humans will have on sports. This book wrestles with the arguments that both defend and demonize the engineering of our DNA. From the controversial topics of cloning to the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports, Miah looks at how science has already modified our society and attempts to find a proper place for genetic modification. He compares genetic modification to current medical technologies such as in-vitro fertilization. Both in-vitro fertilization and genetic modification occur outside the womb, leaving the decision of whether to modify an unborn child up to its parents. Miah challenges and defines issues of privacy rights, a common sense of fairness, personal autonomy, and the dignity of professional athletes.
The author is well-versed in the topics of ethics and sport. Not only has he published numerous academic papers on the subject of genetic modification and sports, but he also lectures in Media, Bioethics, and Cyber-Culture at the University of Paisley, Scotland. At the University of Glasgow, he is a Tutor of Ethics in Science and he is also a co-editor of Sport Technology: History, Philosophy, and Policy. His writing style is rational and patient; he weighs both sides of a case equally and often draws upon Kant and Locke to bolster his arguments. It is with this calm and unruffled manner that Miah takes on some of the more alarming scenarios associated with the use of technology and human enhancement, describing social fears of cookie-cutter identical humans. However, he quickly puts these fears to rest by drawing on clear scientific evidence related to the popular "nature vs. nurture" debate. Research suggests that genes account for 50 percent of the variability in athletes' performance, but that circumstance and training influences the other 50 percent. Miah always keeps the reader aware that although genetic modification may enhance a person's innate ability to succeed, it absolutely does not negate the need for hard work and devotion.
Miah leads the reader through an exhaustive history of ethics and sport. He considers the concept of unfair advantages in sports and identifies the psychological root of our common notions of cheating. Miah presents both the bright and dark sides of technology, from speed suits and altitude tents to the use of performance enhancing drugs such as EPO and hGH. According to Miah, both speed suits and altitude tents enhance performance through advanced technology and yet are considered legitimate, while the substances EPO and hGH are banned. His arguments are enough to make even the most headstrong reader realize that there is a fine line between a legal and fair advantage and one that is vilified. Yet Miah's words are not judgmental - he skillfully demonstrates how technology continually changes the face of sport and suggests that genetic modification is just an inevitable step towards the future.
Nevertheless, his words are edged with warning. Tampering with human DNA now may set the stage for a genetically modified disaster in evolution, as prior natural selection is thrown out the proverbial window. It is disappointing that Miah does not pursue this idea further, as he misses an opportunity to explore an already-embattled realm of genetic modification: the food industry. As more people consume organic foods and turn away from genetically modified meats and produce, one wonders whether these same people will also be more apt to choose the "fully organic" lifestyle when deciding whether to modify their own or their children's DNA.
Genetically Modified Athletes is a book of great importance to both athletics and the greater society. In not taking a firm moral or political position, Miah forces the reader to come to grips with a rapidly changing world in which the line between science and science fiction is blurred. Although his clear, no-frills style does not cause panic, one leaves the book with a sense of urgency about changes in human society as we know it. While the topics of cloning and stem cell research have been highly publicized in the media, Genetically Modified Athletes sheds new light on emerging technologies that could change the face (and bodies) of humans and their behavior as we know it.
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