Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Prime Human Cloning Researcher Humiliated

Posted by Zonk on from the political-setback dept.

Starker_Kull writes "Today, the first scientist to clone human egg cells, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, was forced to resign from his post for 'breaches of ethics'. It appears that the ethical breaches consisted of overzealous assistants who volunteered their own eggs for use. After Dr. Hwang declined the offer, the assistants secretly donated their eggs under false names. After Dr. Hwang discovered the deception, he tried to cover it up to protect his researchers - but the news eventually leaked out."

6 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe I'm confused ... by rkcallaghan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But what exactly was unethical about lab workers also being donors in the first place?

    ~Rebecca

    1. Re:Maybe I'm confused ... by dbolger · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I am not a scientist, so I'm not sure, but I think the fact that they used false names brings the ethics of the researchers into some disrepute. The chap tried to cover it up to protect their reputations, and in doing so brought himself into disrepute. Its a horrible little circle :(

    2. Re:Maybe I'm confused ... by tgv · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Any relation between an employer and employee is a minefield, but in this case ethics demands that the eggs were donated voluntarily. That can be easily doubted in the case of subordinates in a strict hierarchy.

      And, IMHO, it should be, but that's (as I said) my opinion.

    3. Re:Maybe I'm confused ... by jcaren · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Whats the big deal?

      How do we know he did not know about it? In such
      situations you shoiuld assume the worst.

      A similar example is nuclear reprocessing facility workers
      taking off thier RAD badges, to ensure that they can
      do overtime without exceeding thier safe legal dose.

      When health and safety found out (as usual, via the
      natiaonal newspapers), the employer said that it did not
      notice employees in the hazmat areas without badges and
      because of this they were never prosecuted.

      Moral of the story: ignorance is a good excuse - if you
      can get away with it.

    4. Re:Maybe I'm confused ... by Halfbaked+Plan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You can't do good science if your personal emotions and ego are wrapped up too tightly with the experiment.

      Whoah! That would rule out just about any scientist. Or anybody else doing any kind of work they care about.

      Which leaves the work for dispassionate drones and the mediocre, I suppose.

      --
      resigned
  2. Re:What exactly is the problem? by geoffrobinson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's always the coverup that gets you, not the original crime. Martha Stewart, Richard Nixon...

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.