Genetic engineering has long been a staple of Science Fiction paranoia. If not the major theme of a story, it often shows up in ancillary roles, normally to a negative effect. The stories in books and films often have served as a warning sign for how genetic engineering could go wrong.
A recent article in Nature announced that Chinese scientist produced a paper wherein they explained the “successful” genetic engineering of “non-viable” human embryos which recently took place. The scientists used a genetic modification technique known as CRISPR/Cas9 to modify a gene in the genome responsible for a fatal blood disorder.
So what is the ethical problem with genetic engineering? The Science Fiction dystopian futures aside, some would argue that, while the intentions are initially good (eradicate genetic diseases), the capability could be used in the future to artificially control for desirable characteristics and features and we are not yet sure, as a society, if we are ok with that. What is our role in controlling important aspects of a human being? It is not difficult to imagine a future where good intentions are perverted for abuse. For example, individuals bred for their athletic ability (sports and war), or individuals bred to be complacent and low-thinking (slavery).
It is a difficult dance that scientist often are required to perform. On the one hand, their objective is to discover and push boundaries. On the other hand, are they responsible for the evil that is done as a result of their work? Another difficult question: are WE responsible for benefiting from the vile practices of old. Medical science has advanced throughout history through many horrific events such as murders to provide bodies for dissections, Nazi experiments etc.
We will certainly see more of these stories as time goes on.
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