“Designer Babies” Just Around The Corner
By James Donahue
The new research by geneticists in world laboratories is already opening doors for genetic tampering in an effort to create designer children, free of inherited disease and deformity.
The idea is that through genetic tinkering babies can be created that will not inherit parental links to diabetes, heart disease and horrors like Huntington’s or Lou Gehrig's disease. Other genetic problems like buck teeth, dwarfism, weak eyesight and even mental illness might be erased.
The result might be the future development of a perfect race of humanoids to replace the crippled masses now occupying the planet.
It sounds wonderful at first thought.
Investigative journalist Janet C. Phelan noted in a recent publication that “the possibilities inherent in such manipulation are staggering. Not only could genetic diseases be removed from the developing embryo, but new and better attributes could be factored in . . . a brave new crop of humans, with enhanced intellectual abilities or enhanced musculature, for example, could be harvested.”
Phelan attended a recent symposium of delegates from the top three gene-editing countries, China, the UK and the United States, held in Washington, D.C. to talk about the future of genetic alterations in human embryos.
She wrote that it was revealed that China is already attempting to edit the genetic qualities of embryos to correct a rare and often fatal blood disorder, and a British research group is preparing to edit human embryos for research.
The problem in this and nearly all new technology is that without careful forethought this kind of research may get out-of-hand. Unspoken but common worries are efforts to develop superior military personnel for ground wars, super human laborers for slave-type service, superior athletic abilities and people especially designed for space travel.
The committee, comprised of ten scientists and two bioethicists, called on national academies involved in medical and genetic research to take the lead in establishing guidelines and promote coordination among nations in this critical area.
The problem is that laws governing gene editing are vague and ambiguous, thus making it possible for private research labs to experiment in almost any direction.
For example the U.S. government refuses to finance gene editing research that involves viable embryos. But there is no law banning gene editing so the door is open for private labs to accommodate wealthy people who want designer babies.
It doesn’t take a genius to envision what can be on the brink of occurring in this field. Designer babies will be created for the wealthy while the masses continue living with what Phelan described as “our genetic baggage. This begins to sound almost like the engineered societies that science fiction novels warned us about.”
If done properly, in a socialistic setting created for the good of all, genetic engineering could be a boon for humanity. But if allowed to go unchecked, we have a disaster just beginning to happen.
It could lead to a social division unparalleled since the dark ages.
By James Donahue
The new research by geneticists in world laboratories is already opening doors for genetic tampering in an effort to create designer children, free of inherited disease and deformity.
The idea is that through genetic tinkering babies can be created that will not inherit parental links to diabetes, heart disease and horrors like Huntington’s or Lou Gehrig's disease. Other genetic problems like buck teeth, dwarfism, weak eyesight and even mental illness might be erased.
The result might be the future development of a perfect race of humanoids to replace the crippled masses now occupying the planet.
It sounds wonderful at first thought.
Investigative journalist Janet C. Phelan noted in a recent publication that “the possibilities inherent in such manipulation are staggering. Not only could genetic diseases be removed from the developing embryo, but new and better attributes could be factored in . . . a brave new crop of humans, with enhanced intellectual abilities or enhanced musculature, for example, could be harvested.”
Phelan attended a recent symposium of delegates from the top three gene-editing countries, China, the UK and the United States, held in Washington, D.C. to talk about the future of genetic alterations in human embryos.
She wrote that it was revealed that China is already attempting to edit the genetic qualities of embryos to correct a rare and often fatal blood disorder, and a British research group is preparing to edit human embryos for research.
The problem in this and nearly all new technology is that without careful forethought this kind of research may get out-of-hand. Unspoken but common worries are efforts to develop superior military personnel for ground wars, super human laborers for slave-type service, superior athletic abilities and people especially designed for space travel.
The committee, comprised of ten scientists and two bioethicists, called on national academies involved in medical and genetic research to take the lead in establishing guidelines and promote coordination among nations in this critical area.
The problem is that laws governing gene editing are vague and ambiguous, thus making it possible for private research labs to experiment in almost any direction.
For example the U.S. government refuses to finance gene editing research that involves viable embryos. But there is no law banning gene editing so the door is open for private labs to accommodate wealthy people who want designer babies.
It doesn’t take a genius to envision what can be on the brink of occurring in this field. Designer babies will be created for the wealthy while the masses continue living with what Phelan described as “our genetic baggage. This begins to sound almost like the engineered societies that science fiction novels warned us about.”
If done properly, in a socialistic setting created for the good of all, genetic engineering could be a boon for humanity. But if allowed to go unchecked, we have a disaster just beginning to happen.
It could lead to a social division unparalleled since the dark ages.