Genetic Engineering

The Human Genome Project (HGP) resulted in a map of the approximately 20,000 -25,000 genes in our DNA, with the identification for genes such as those repsonbile for inheritable diseases identifiable. There is a radical possibility that there may come a time where cosmestic surgery involves replacing genes responsbile for “inferior appearances” with ones that are capable of producing designer babies. There may come a day where parents are given the option of modifying their unborn children, in order to spare their offspring from disease or, conceivably, make them tall, well-muscled, intelligent, or otherwise blessed with desirable traits. Such a possibility begets intriguing and potentially dark consequences.

Some issues about aesthetic genetic engineering to consider:

What happens to experiments that fail? Right now, failed trails of crops or animals in genetic engineering are discarded, but what happens to failed experiments of genetically engineered babies?
Such an idea of designer babies may lead to the development of modern eugenics. Eugenics refers to an idea that selective breeding can be used to improve the human race. This was an idea embraced by the Nazis during World War II. It can be pointed out that genetically modifying children to choose desirable traits evoked this approach.

A major part of the debate currently is focused on a particular technology known as mitochondrial transfer. Mitochondrial transfer can replace defective mitochondrial DNA with that from a donor, allowing affected mothers to avoid passing mitochondiral defects to their children. A group of society is arguing that instead of an outright rejection of all forms of genetic engineering for human beings, a middle ground can be established i.e. parents can modify their children to promote the health of their offspring, but not for other traits that are less medically necessary, but nevertheless desirable, such as higher intelligence or blue eyes. What do you think?

Food for Thought