Thursday, 26 March 2015

Human embryo editing/designer baby - ethical & safety concerns


 
1)      A group of scientists has raised ethical and safety concerns over genetically editing human embryos,

2)      The method has the potential to create that eugenically worrisome concept of the designer baby using specific genes for greater intelligence or specific physical attributes such as blue eyes.

3)      Genome-editing technology offer promising tools to correct disease-genes by snipping away harmful mutations to possibly treat human diseases such as HIV/AIDS, haemophilia, sickle-cell anaemia and forms of cancer.

4)      But when genetic manipulation targets sperms and eggs (the germ line), the changes can be inherited, opening up an array of ethical, legal and health concerns.

5)      It could be exploited for non-therapeutic modifications.

6)      Using genome-editing to manipulate germ cells, could undermine genetic interventions to treat serious debilitating diseases.

7)      Scientists should agree not to modify the DNA of human reproductive cells and a voluntary moratorium in the scientific community could be an effective way to discourage human germline modification.

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