The Pros And Cons Of Gene Editing

821 Words4 Pages

Gene editing is a technique that enables scientists to replace the section of the original genome of a living organism. It offers a greater precision on changing the sequences of DNA specifically. Some scientists have been looking forward to use human embryos for the experiment in order to understand the early stages of life and the potential to remove the hereditary illness. However, the ethical issues and potential risks associated with gene editing have called for a moratorium until further research is completed. The ethical implication and adequate regulation of gene editing will need further consideration in order to make this technique achievable. This essay will discuss the three normative theories: Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, and …show more content…

The risks of gene editing must be taken into consideration while the success rate of the experiment on the unborn embryos is less than half (Sample, 2016). It could also be ethically wrong if we are only editing to the “best” quality in newborn babies, because we no longer process the distinctive characteristics among human nature. This may cause an ethical issue that enhances the discrimination against the people who has different characteristics than the public standards. Due to these ethical issues, some scientists are calling for a pause in applying gene editing to human germline until the benefits of gene editing are greater than the problems. According to the theory of Kantian ethics, morality is determined by the actions that involved with maxim and fulfill our duties, but not the consequences. The moral enhancement of Kantian ethics towards the position with no emotional modulation in many situations (Carter, 2017). As such, scientists should follow their duties with the morally worthy action towards the society, but not their personal inclination as their desire of