Gene Doping: The Politics and Ethics of Enhancement

Over the last 5 years, the world has encountered considerable developments in human enhancement technologies. During this time, the prospect of gene transfer within sport has emerged as a core concern of the World Anti-Doping Agency (2005). Gene doping, as it is called, is particularly interesting from cultural studies perspective because it is broadly contextualised by a sociology of the future or imagined ethical future that is both moral and political. In this paper, I discuss the role of bio(ethics) in cultural studies and its bearing on the human enhancement debate in sport. Within the UK, the most recent instantiation of this debate is through the public inquiry into Human Enhancement Technologies in Sport (Science and Technology Select Committee, 2006). This paper discusses the positioning of sports insitutions in relation to human enhancement technologies and how they reflect a broader bio-politico-ethical stance against human enhancement (Garnier, 2006; WADA, 2006). Moreover, I suggest that this positioning is broadly indicative of a fundamental tension within the world of medicine over its legitimate role, and the ends of a commercial model for human modification. These circumstances limit the possibility of open debate about the relevance and merit of anti-doping programmes and weaken the credibility of sport's judicial ethos. Finally, I conclude that these characteristics of sport's political economy inhibit nations from developing technoprogressive approaches to the human enhancement debate.

References

Garnier, A. (2006). An Open Letter to Those Promoting Medical Supervision of Doping. Lausanne, Switzerland, World Anti-Doping Agency.

Science and Technology Select Committee (2006, March 1). New Inquiry: Human Enhancement Technologies in Sport. Select Committee for Science and Technology, British Government.

World Anti-Doping Agency (2005). The Stockholm Declaration [on Gene Doping], World Anti-Doping Agency.