Would You Genetically Modify Your Child To Ensure "The Best Start For Them"
I recently read an article talking about the future of children, how science says that genetically modifying your child is an important step in ensuring "the best start for them".
They said it would be moral obligation! I very much disagree with this and below explains why.
What is CRISPR/Cas9
CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome editing tool that is creating a buzz in the science world. It is faster, cheaper and more accurate than previous techniques of editing DNA and has a wide range of potential applications.
Basically, science has taken a big leap in human gene modification.
What Could Come Next?
We could see a new profession for doctors and scientists: "Gene Doctor".
You could go to a doctor with you partner before planning for pregnancy. You are given a piece of paper with many human traits which are normally randomized, but you could pick and choose which genetic traits you desire for your child.
Which Traits Could You Change?
The article I read listed a few:
Eye Color
Skin Tone
Hair Color
Baldness
Nearsightedness
Alcoholism
Obesity
Domestic Violence
Diseases
At first glance, this seems like a great idea and a mark for a brighter, disease free future for humankind.
But doctors have not been completely honest in the past, so it is safer to be skeptical about this subject rather than completely trusting.
The Possible Negative Impacts Of Human Gene Modification
Any technology that offers benefits will usually come with risks as well.
The most potent use of the new gene editing technique CRISPR is also the most controversial: tweaking the genomes of human embryos to eliminate genes that cause disease. We don’t allow it now. Should we ever?
It is completely unethical, we could have racial discrimination from choosing your child to be a different color and many other complications related to the choice of what your children will become. More importantly, how your child's DNA could be used by the government.
My Thoughts
I do not want to see this happen, the government could also secretly change your genes in ways you would not know.
The scientists selecting your gene mix could add a trait like "completely obedient to authority" for example.
I'm for all natural babies all the way!
I have seen too many cases of corruption in the medical industry such as vaccines to be able to trust a doctor to genetically modify my child!
@chron wants all natural babies!
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I am currently working in association with @samstonehill on the following projects:
@steemmasters which provides FREE TUTORIALS, personal training & resteeming services. Website HERE.
@charitysteemit which aims to help charity campaign gain traction on Steemit and help the affected people, check out our most recent post HERE.
A member of the Steemit Bloggers Community, heading the CHARITY Q&A. Join us on Discord, we don't bite.
Avid graphic designer, if you want a Gif like above made by me or a banner like below contact @chron on Steemit.chat (we can discuss rates there).
Here is a list of Steemit Witness I have voted for & recommend you do the same:
@teamsteem @timcliff @jesta @good-karma @someguy123 @blocktrades @pfunk @klye @krnel @blueorgy @ausbitbank, @pharesim & @thecryptodrive
Without them the our beautiful decentralized platform would sink!
Learn what this means HERE and place your vote HERE.
What about eradicating genes that pass on hereditary diseases, preventing down syndrome or other anomalies in the fetus' genetic code? Before condemning it, think of all the advantages it can offer.
As long as technology, medicine and science in general is managed by people with ethics, dedicated to serving humanity and alleviating human pain, we don't have to worry about anything. The problem starts with people, their decisions, prohibitions and moral code...
We don't have to worry about anything, just trust authority??
The potential for abuse with technology like this is huge!
There is no need to panic and scare people and be so absolute on that.
Should we ban knives because they can kill people?
Should we ban meds because they can kill people?
Should we pull our cars over because they can kill people?
The possibility for some people to abuse their power does not mean they are definitely doing that.
You will be the one plugged into the matrix.
Me and my family will be the ones living in a forest away from the Sentient AI apocalypse.
The world has a lot of control happening behind the scenes, there is a reason they are creating genetic modification and that is because the people at the top of the pyramid want a race of obedient, disease free humans.
I do not want this, you can have a right to your own opinion and I do 😀
At your age I read Dan Brown and believed in masonry controlling the world.
Conspiracy theories can drive you mad, in the end I gave it all up to gain peace. I'm not saying there can't be backstage actions and bigger plans for humanity, I just don't obsess myself with that.
Modifying genetics largely solved world hunger. That's kinda OK.
Certain positives outweigh the possible negatives.
And super athletes. I want to see humans (or similar) highjump 5m and run the marathon under an hour.
Jokes aside, you are right. Gene manipulation will bring many great things. Just like it did for solving world hunger. But it will be a controversial topic for many decades to come (think GMO panic only bigger)
Just like it happened with Dolly, I was a child back then, but I can still remember all the fuss about it on the news.
I will still insist though, it's ethics where we should aim, a society with a strong moral code does not have to worry about abuse and manipulation (I know it sounds ideal and not feasible, but if we all try our future will be a lot better)
The media is the message, McLuhan said. If a technology is available, it changes the world
I am a bit astonished that only the bad things are seen there. Check the other comments. What about the genetic diseases that could be cured? There always are two faces to a coin.
You are looking at the wrong face of that coin.
We cannot blindly believe in authority!
Question more, dig deeper.
Where have I said that we should believe blindly in authority? Questioning all the time is the leitmotiv of science, isn't it?
Stop believing in big conspiracies. This leads to nowhere.
Why am I not allowed my own opinion?
Stop not believing in conspiracies, it might lead somewhere 😉
You are allowed to have your opinion, it's just a stupid one.
You are allowed to have one as well, it is the naive one.
Here have a kiss angry person 😘
Designer babies are wrong, we don't want a world of identical, beautiful, perfect people.
DNA editing to get rid of some hereditary disease does sound tempting and I think a couple faced with the issue could not be denied the chance of having a healthy baby, but that's a very slippery slope, as there's a big difference between a life-threatening disease and something minor and manageable.
And I'm afraid it doesn't even matter what we say as genetic engineering will probably be a real thing in the near future.
Yes @ladyrebecca! Thank you very much!
We cannot have a world of designer babies and we cannot let the government choose what a "good baby" is.
Hope you enjoy your time on Steemit 😀. I love having you here!
Curing children of life threatening genetic diseases before birth would improve the lives of millions of people.
Say you and your SO are heterozygous for a mutation in a gene responsible for causing ataxia. You don't think it's good to repair that gene in your baby so that they don't grow up to be confined to a wheel chair?
yeah but what about god?
Which one?
the great JuJu of the mountain of course!
Ohh one of my favorite gods. Such powa, much tremble.
I'm sorry but no!
There is too much potential for abuse.
1984 was 33 years ago.
I got your point ;)
I think I have to get hold of that...
I sometimes think our children will be the grandmas and grandpas of the future. So our time, our latest new stuff, will be the tech stoneage in a century. So how will the world look like then? Any guesses Ruth-girl?
I haven't really thought about it, but when I think that my grandmother has witnessed WWII, man landing on the moon, the invention of the television, the computer, tablets and smartphones, she would wash her clothes using her hands when she was a teenager and now she has a machine for that, well I see that technology develops faster and faster.
So my guesses are that when we get to be grandparents the world will certainly have changed a lot and by the time our children will be grandparents, our world will be nothing like it is today. I just wish there will still be enough countryside and natural beauties left for them to admire. I hope we don't turn every inch of our planet into a concrete jungle...
I see a world with much more nature and much less of us. Japan's population development may be characteristic and labor demand may decline.
The latter is definitely a probability if you think that the planet's population is increasing. Even though new jobs appear there are many others that disappear. Fortunately or unfortunately we won't be around that long to see if our guesses are right...Unless of course some miracle technology is invented to prolong human life span incredibly :P
it was, so what?
Orwell. Huxley. Bradbury. Also a good read: The Technetronic Era.
Oh, got it! Thanks. Will give it a read
gd work
tk you
Totally. I would give it an inner urge to clean its room and do the homework;-)
There isn't a room cleaning and homework gene to edit unfortunately. ;)
There may well be one. Be on the lookout!
well while you have a potentially valid concern over misuse of such advancement, yet eradicating diseases at embryo phase would have such immense and positive effect on the future life of humans. Recent work has already been implemented on removing a specific disease from the DNA of human embryo.
I think you are really seeking regulation, and that might be your solution :)
Sorry but no.
Regulation means that doctors/scientists are regulating it and that leaves room for abuse!
Thanks for commenting, we all have a right to our own opinion 🙃
In the face of growing poverty, climate change and other problems coming our way, to rule this out would be unethical.
I don't the argument you gave again gene modification is an accurate one and flies in the face of actual reality.
I do not believe this at all @deadsparrow!
I believe that poverty and many other problems are manufactured by the people at the top of our society that control all the money.
They are the same people who control this technology.
Thanks for your comment, have a Steem day!