An Ethical Problem for Chidi Anagonye
If there is a technology that could significantly improve a large population’s lives, should it be condemned for the possible negative uses that it could also be used for?
In the news this week was the announcement of a new gene editing technology that could allow scientists to cut and paste genes- with the positive effect of being able to fix most disease causing genetic variations.
For a family like ours, with our daughter having sickle cell, on the surface, this kind of research is exciting and something to celebrate.
But as I read the article, I was struck by the end of the article, which brought up the ethical concerns over these DIY — DNA modifications.
Philosophers and ethics professors love these kind of questions, and I found myself wondering what Chidi would say about this one. We are finally on the path towards fixing the un-fixable- the problems born into our bodies, and yet behind every positive there are the dark negatives lurking behind it.
If the research continues, and is able to make a new utopia of sorts that no one has to fear genetic diseases for themselves or their offspring, these researchers will be celebrated, and go down in history with the people who discovered penicillin.
But if they reach that pinnacle, and it turns out that people twist this new gene editing into something resembling Hitler’s attempts to create the perfect race, and start doing plastic surgery to unborn children’s genes, then this research could become infamous. It would be looked at as the point that our society as we knew it became something from a science fiction novel.
See, I can already see where the problem lies- if parents are allowed to edit out the diseases, then why not edit other sections as well, like one that would make their child short. Taller people earn more money, are more likely to be voted for, and are more likely to be judged attractive. So, you could argue that it was to make your child’s future better if you also were able to edit the gene for height. This starts the slippery slope into what other physical features might be edited, and would it really be so bad if parents decided on the eye color of their child?
