Imagine a world in which you can actually choose your baby’s hair color, height, or
even personality. It sounds like a crazy idea, but this is becoming reality
with rapid advances in scientific knowledge and technology.
The process of genetic screening and engineering is a
controversial topic that brings both science and ethics into consideration. Genetic
screening is the process in which embryos can be selected by sex and checked
for certain disease-bearing genes. These could either lead to the termination
of a pregnancy, or if analyzed at pre-implantation stage, enable the pregnancy
to continue with non-disease bearing genes. Successful experiments have been
conducted with animal embryos and scientists are now thinking of applying this
science to humans. Looking into the future, we may be able to “cure” genetic
diseases in embryos by replacing disease-bearing DNA with healthy DNA in a
process known as germ line therapy.
There is also another similar procedure that involves
combining the genetic material of three people to create a baby free of
defects. During this procedure, mitochondria with defects are replaced with
mitochondria from another woman.
The Food and Drug Administration is holding a meeting next
week to discuss the scientific issues surrounding this procedure. 17 babies in
the US have been born through this procedure, but the practice is illegal as of
now.
Despite the huge advances in science and technology in
genetic engineering, there is still uncertainty surrounding the issue. Will the
child experience any abnormalities later on in life? Are there any risks for
the mother? Furthermore, there are also ethical considerations to be made. Does
genetic engineering wrongfully play with “fate and destiny?” How far will
scientists go to engineer humans? These are all uncertainties and questions to
consider when considering genetic modification.
I believe that more scientific evidence is needed to apply
these procedures to humans. Right now, there is too much uncertainty and “what-ifs”
surrounding the procedures and its results. Until much of the unknown is
revealed, scientists should not risk human lives in these procedures. However,
once enough scientific evidence is gathered to support genetic screening and
modification, I believe that the procedures should be used to eliminate
diseases from embryos. On the other hand, I do not believe that the procedures
should be used to alter a baby’s appearance or personality because I believe
that this will ultimately be altering with fate.
Sources:
Claudia, I really enjoyed reading this post. It highlights a few very important ethical concepts. While I understand the position you took, I feel differently when I consider other medical procedures in which doctors are engineering humans. For example, the use of bionic enhancements such as robotic arms and legs for amputees. I’m sure people were skeptical about this concept to start, but the potential benefits outweighed the risk. I believe the same is true for germ line therapy and the mitochondria procedure you discussed. I agree it will likely take more time and research before people are convinced, but until then I have to consider all the children born without this aid while we had the technology available.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it's straight out of a science fiction novel!!
ReplyDeleteOne point comes to mind when I read about picking a child's personality or physical traits: how much of this really comes from nature vs. nurture? I believe that nurturing a child in certain ways or bringing them into certain environments is much more powerful than their biological genetic makeup. Epigenetics is also something that we should think about when considering this discussion (more information here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1bZEUgqVI). These will affect certain genes to be expressed in different ways even if two people have the exact genetic makeup. It all depends on a person's environment and whether certain circumstances occur to make a gene become more prominent. Overall, the medical idea behind this is very powerful and may be the way of the future, but we should consider all of the studies that have been done on what really makes up a person and whether a trait will still be there whether or not we have the specific gene for it.
I think this could be very beneficial for the human population. Isn't it every personal goal as a little kid to help cure an incurable disease? By doing this we could cure cancer without the need for chemo or radiation. Or even we could make ourselves 'bacteria and virus resistant' similarly to how bacteria make themselves antibiotic resistant. By doing this we could cure almost every disease!
ReplyDeleteI do agree there are some ethical dilemmas like producing the 'perfect' child and there should be some regulations. But for now lets see where science takes us because more research needs to be conducted on these topics.
As for the risks, most any medical procedures have a bit of risk which the patient consents to before hand. If a mother went through this procedure, I'm sure she would be well aware of the risks.
I really enjoyed reading your post, Claudia. I thought you described the process of genetic screening and the associated risks and benefits well. I agree with some of your thoughts on the necessity of research to determine if genetic engineering has detrimental effects. However, it would take a long time to determine the risks associated with genetic screening due to the long life spans of humans. I also think there is a line to be drawn on the boundaries of genetic screening (not creating superhumans), but I'm not exactly sure where than line should be. I think choosing the sex of your baby is rather innocent, but once you begin selecting desired traits you begin to imagine a world like the one portrayed in the movie Gattaca.
ReplyDeleteWow, I was really surprised to hear that this "designer babies" practice has actually taken off and produced seventeen babies. Up until now I thought it was just a very well-designed science that had not been acted upon yet due to ethical considerations. One of the US's worst dilemmas right now is income inequality and health/well-being disparities across socioeconomic classes. Allowing this highly expensive procedure would only widen this gap if the extremely wealthy are able to create mutant geniuses, athletes, musicians, and models. At least that's what we typically think about when we hear "designer babies". I am interested to see what the FDA meeting has to say about this topic. I am personally very skeptical about the benefits of it.
ReplyDeletehttp://arbiteronline.com/2011/04/18/designer-babies-will-take-over-the-world/
Claudia, did your research indicate that these seventeen children, who were born using this procedure, are being monitored by scientists? If so, we may be closer to having an understanding of the long term ramifications of this process than we thought. I absolutely would support using this procedure for the eradication of genetic diseases, and I'm open to the idea that parents should be able to choose traits for their children. Plastic surgery is an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and consumer culture encourages us to be obsessed with changing our appearances. I understand that diversity and individualism are important, but would it be a bad thing to have a world filled with healthy and beautiful people? The game of genetic roulette is often cruel, and this may make people happier.
ReplyDelete