Epigenetics, ethics, law and society: A multidisciplinary review of descriptive, instrumental, dialectical and reflexive analyses

Abstract

Epigenetics, defined as ‘the study of mitotically and/or meiotically heritable changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence’, has emerged as a promissory yet controversial field of scientific inquiry over the past decade. Scholars from many disciplines have formulated both optimistic and cautionary claims regarding its potential normative implications. This article provides a comprehensive review of the nascent literature at the crossroads of epigenetics, ethics, law and society. It describes nine emerging areas of discussion, relating to (1) the impact of epigenetics on the nature versus nurture dualism, (2) the potential resulting biologization of the social, (3) the meaning of epigenetics for public health, its potential influence on (4) reproduction and parenting, (5) political theory and (6) legal proceedings, and concerns regarding (7) stigmatization and discrimination, (8) privacy protection and (9) knowledge translation. While there is some degree of similarity between the nature and content of these areas and the abundant literature on ethical, legal and social issues in genetics, the potential implications of epigenetics ought not be conflated with the latter. Critical studies on epigenetics are emerging within a separate space of bioethical and biopolitical investigations and claims, with scholars from various epistemological standpoints utilizing distinct yet complementary analytical approaches.

The social construction of the social epigenome and the larger biological context

“…The emphasis by social epigeneticists on the inheritance of acquired traits and the environment as determining factor for phenotypes is not based on new and reliable scienti c results. Rather, at least in some prominent cases, it is the result of a disciplinary power struggle with genetics, in which epigenetics offers to grant the social sciences a higher epistemic status [29]. Since the question of scienti c truth or reliability does not seem to matter, I conclude that social epigenetics is to a considerable extent socially constructed in order to reduce the perceived dominance of genetics.…”

“…The incompatibility of genetics and epigenetics is a major focus in an article by bioethicist Dupras et al reviewing the literature on "epigenetics, ethics, law and society" [29]. The authors de ne epigenetics as "the study of mitotically and/or meiotically heritable changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence."…”

“…In their view, social epigenetics was the result of social scientists' power struggle with genetics: "The genetic era, and its exaggerated emphasis on the biological sources of identity, behavior and health, had created some sort of vacuum for any molecular-scale evidence that would reinvigorate the epistemic status of social sciences and humanities." [29] (Emphasis added) The authors perceive a war against genetics: Social and political theories needed biological support "in order to be able to counterstrike ongoing geneticization and biomedicalization processes on the same epistemic battle eld." Therefore, epigenetics, by providing molecular-scale "evidence," offered a powerful tool to ght the dominance of genetics and increase the epistemic status of the social sciences.…”

“…Scholars use epigenetics as biological support to limit the power of genetics, or, more forcefully, "in order to be able to counterstrike ongoing geneticization and biomedicalization processes on the same epistemic battle eld." [29] As someone who believes that scienti c methodologies enable scientists to generate reliable knowledge and that experimentally corroborated scienti c theories largely re ect reality, I consider it irresponsible to promote a scienti c or social scienti c agenda that is based on unreliable or misleading arguments. In May 2016, an article in the New Yorker about how environmental factors can change the activity of genes without altering the DNA sequence, written by the cancer researcher and author Siddhartha Mukherjee [37], stirred a strong critical response by geneticists, epigeneticists, and other biologists [38].…”

The Social Construction of the Social Epigenome and the Larger Biological Context

“…The incompatibility of genetics and epigenetics is a major focus in an article by Dupras et al reviewing the literature on "epigenetics, ethics, law and society" [18]. According to the authors "environmental or social epigenetics" became "revolutionary" elds, because they provided the "grounds to revisit some gene-centric theories, long perceived by many as too simplistic and reductionist of human identity, behavior and health."…”