The Pros And Cons Of Germline Engineering

A designer baby is a human embryo that has been genetically modified using a gene editing technique known as germline engineering. It targets the germline cells by editing the DNA of these cells or of the embryo itself, which could make it possible to correct genetic and hereditary diseases and then pass those genetic fixes onto future generations (MIT Technology Review, 2015). CRISPR, a technology already used widely by biologists around the world as a kind of search-and-replace tool to alter DNA, is now able to make these genetic edits, which although is a great scientific advancement, also sparks a great controversy as to what it can be used for and whether or not it is ethical, with twenty nine countries already banning the technology outright

Another viewpoint to do with the Government is that they have no right to control reproduction, which although slightly different to conventional methods, may actually be the only safe option for willing couples. This argument is further backed up by the fact that this is simply the replacement of a defective gene, so is no different to an organ transplant, which is completely legal, therefore germline editing should also have the same parameters. As this is a massive technological advancement, it makes sense to continue and expand on the research available in order for us to be given a greater understanding of genetics, whilst not letting ethical viewpoints stop us in our tracks. Another reason for the benefits of germline editing is that by making genetic changes to an embryo, you would be increasing the human lifespan and also reducing the risk of potentially life-threatening diseases. Which would not only allow parents to give their child a healthy life but also enable that child to

Due to the fact that the production of designer babies is an extremely expensive process, only the rich would be able to afford it so a gap in society could be created, which in turn would only increase because the richer people would only get richer as a result of these new found genetic enhancements and the poor, poorer still. Another reason, which links to this idea of genetic enhancement is that we as humans would get carried away by correcting perfectly healthy babies with the aim to research a so-called ‘perfect’ human. Another consequence of this genetic editing is the fact that this technique is only in early stages, so tampering with the structure of genetics may actually have unintended consequences especially as genes often have multiple uses so whilst one aspect of a baby may be improved, another may be removed completely, creating more harm than good. Moreover, due to the experimental nature of all of these edits, the termination of embryos is extremely likely which would also be incredibly unfair to the baby as it has no choice in any of these decisions made on it by its parents, so how is it fair that someone else gets to decided what happens to them for them? A consequence of all of this enhancing is that it will cause a loss of individuality because if everyone is suddenly modified and given the