Imagine a world where amputee soldiers returning from war no longer require cumbersome prosthetics that render these heros practically handicapped. A world where humans are better equipped to survive powerful natural disasters. No one needs glasses anymore, diseases are far less prevalent or dangerous, and these benefits are not limited to the rich and powerful, rather they are distributed universally.
This is the vision of Curt Connors, or as many know him, “the Lizard” of Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. This geneticist turned supervillain develops a mutagenizing serum that transforms himself into a man-lizard hybrid with supernatural strength, lightning quick reflexes, the ability to regenerate an amputated arm, and a whole host of other benefits. Convinced that his discovery is the cure to global human suffering, the Lizard attempts to forcibly inoculate the entire human population with the very treatment that zoomorphized him.
Connors’ plan creates an interesting bioethical dilemma. On one hand, there’s no question that Dr Connors’ villainous plans constitute a breach in autonomy, as there is absolutely no version of “informed-consent” included in the Lizard’s plan. However, the doctor believes that the results of his plan and the increased benefit to humanity overrides any breach of medical ethics, (i.e., the overall increase in beneficence outweighs any violation of other ethical principles).
The Lizard’s villainous scheme also accounts for a third bioethical principle: justice. Curt Connors could have made his invention available for autonomous, personal use. However, he must have realized that individuals who would elect to receive this treatment and experience its benefits would be stronger, healthier, and more “capable” than the average human being. Moreover, having enhanced physical properties would mean that someone having received this treatment would be much more capable of acting predatorily towards those who had not.
The principle of justice requires that new treatments are made available to and administered equitably among all groups. [1] For Dr Connors, the best way to ensure this is through forcible distribution. While it may constitute a violation of one’s right to autonomy, forcibly inoculating everyone not only ensures that the benefits of this invention are distributed equitably, but it also ensures that the benefits of the serum do not lead to more detriments.
As the ability to selectively manipulate the human genome moves from comic books into reality, the issue of inequities in being able to improve one’s genome must be considered. Technologies that could ensure one’s child is built like an NFL lineman or cure one’s astigmatism would more than likely come at a steep price. Only the most wealthy of our society will be able to afford such treatments, and furthermore, wealth inequalities will only be exacerbated as the elites would now physically dominate the less-fortunate.
In no scenario is turning the human race into monstrous lizard people an ethical act, however allowing for the further widening of the wealth gap cannot be either. Good comic villains always have an element of nuance to their efforts; oftentimes the antagonist garners more sympathy than the hero does. It would be a stretch to say that the Lizard is an ethical role-model, but his “evil-plan” does manage to balance somewhat contradictory bioethical principles better than one might expect.
References:
Johnson, A. (n.d.). What are the Basic Principles of Medical Ethics? Medical ethics 101. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://web.stanford.edu/class/siw198q/websites/reprotech/New%20Ways%20of%20Making%20Babies/EthicVoc.htm