Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
A claim-evidence-reasoning table for a CRISPR ethics case. Claim: a somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. Evidence: the edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells, is not passed to children, and the patient gives informed consent. Reasoning: because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed.
A claim-evidence-reasoning table for a CRISPR ethics case. Claim: a somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. Evidence: the edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells, is not passed to children, and the patient gives informed consent. Reasoning: because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed.
A claim-evidence-reasoning table for a CRISPR ethics case. Claim: a somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. Evidence: the edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells, is not passed to children, and the patient gives informed consent. Reasoning: because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed.
Unit 2: Unit 2.2 Our Genetic Future (Gene Therapy)MI 2.2Bio-Molecular Technology
Argue A CRISPR Ethics CER
Build a CER: identify the claim, the strongest evidence, and the reasoning in a CRISPR-ethics case, and pick the best-supported claim.
Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · high confidence
- DNA/RNA base pairing: Sequence and codon tasks depend on reading bases in order.
- Read a genetics model: Pedigrees, karyotypes, and charts are models that need a key.
Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.
Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.
Tell the evidence from the reasoning in a worked CRISPR-ethics CER.
Step 1: Read the worked CER
The table shows one case with all three parts filled in: claim, evidence, reasoning.
| CER part | What it says in this case |
|---|---|
| Claim | A somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. |
| Evidence | The edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells; it is not passed to children; the patient gives informed consent. |
| Reasoning | Because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed. |
Step 2: Evidence vs. reasoning
Evidence is the specific facts you can point to ('edit is only in the patient's blood cells; not passed to children; consent given'). Reasoning is the logic that connects those facts to the claim ('because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected').
Step 3: Name the limit
A strong CER for a somatic edit does not automatically justify a germline edit: the inheritance fact changes the reasoning.
Practice
In the table, which statement is the strongest EVIDENCE for the claim (a specific fact, not the logic connecting it)?
Reviewed| CER part | What it says in this case |
|---|---|
| Claim | A somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. |
| Evidence | The edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells; it is not passed to children; the patient gives informed consent. |
| Reasoning | Because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed. |
- A.The edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells and is not passed to children
- B.Somatic edits are not inherited, so only the consenting patient is affected
- C.A somatic edit is ethically acceptable
- D.Future people who cannot consent should never be affected
Show the worked solution ▾
Answer: A. The edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells and is not passed to children
- Step 1: Separate fact from logic: Evidence = specific facts about THIS case; reasoning = the general logic linking them.
- Step 2: Pick the fact: 'Only the patient's blood stem cells; not passed to children' is a specific case fact, so it is evidence.
Why it's right: Evidence is the specific, checkable fact about the case: here, that the edit is confined to the patient's blood cells and is not inherited.
Why the others miss:
- B: This is the reasoning: the logic that links the evidence to the claim.
- C: This is the claim (the position), not evidence.
- D: This is a general principle used in the reasoning, not the case evidence.
Aligned to Bio-Molecular Technology · reading level ~grade 9
Which statement is the REASONING: the logic that connects the evidence to the claim?
Reviewed| CER part | What it says in this case |
|---|---|
| Claim | A somatic edit to treat this patient's sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable. |
| Evidence | The edit is made only in the patient's own blood stem cells; it is not passed to children; the patient gives informed consent. |
| Reasoning | Because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people who cannot consent are not changed. |
- A.Because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people are not changed
- B.The patient gives informed consent
- C.A somatic edit to treat sickle-cell disease is ethically acceptable
- D.The edit is made only in the patient's blood stem cells
Show the worked solution ▾
Answer: A. Because somatic edits are not inherited, only the consenting patient is affected, so future people are not changed
- Step 1: Spot the 'because': Reasoning explains WHY the evidence supports the claim, often with 'because' or 'so'.
- Step 2: Match it: 'Because somatic edits are not inherited ... future people are not changed' is the connecting logic.
Why it's right: The reasoning is the logical link ('because ... so ...') that explains why the case facts support the claim.
Why the others miss:
- B: 'Informed consent' is one evidence fact, not the connecting logic.
- C: This is the claim, the position being argued.
- D: This is an evidence fact about the case, not the reasoning.
Aligned to Bio-Molecular Technology · reading level ~grade 9
Where you'd see this
- In Unit 2.2 Our Genetic Future (Gene Therapy), this skill turns class evidence into a result another person can check.
Video library
Watch: Argue A CRISPR Ethics CER
How CRISPR lets you edit DNA - Andrea M. Henle
TED-Ed · ~5 min
Guided notes
Fill these in as you work through the lesson.
Big idea: A CRISPR-ethics CER names a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and uses reasoning to connect them: and the somatic-vs-germline fact can change which claim the evidence supports.
Key terms: write the meaning
- Claim (the position you are arguing):
- Evidence (specific facts that support the claim):
- Reasoning (the logic linking evidence to the claim):
- Germline edit (changes egg/sperm/embryo and is inherited):
The rule
A CER states a , gives specific , and uses to connect them; for a germline edit the key fact is that it is .
Check yourself
- Which row of the table is the claim? The evidence? The reasoning?
- Why does 'not inherited' support the somatic claim?
- How does switching to a germline edit change the best-supported claim?
Work one example
Take the somatic sickle-cell CER and rewrite the claim and reasoning for a germline embryo edit, showing how the 'inherited' fact changes the conclusion.