Pros And Cons Of Gene Editing

On the one hand, some argue that genetically modifying DNA may aid in the removal of diseases. An Article by Amy Harmon, the New York Times National Correspondent, discusses the advancements in gene editing tools and how it's becoming a more promising practice. With the recent success in editing genes, more groups such as governments are looking into funding for these practices. The removal of certain genes form certain bugs may remove diseases and stop them from being spread.In humans, it could help stop spreading diseases spread by heredity. A new tool is being used in order to safely edit dna, “... Crispr provides an effective way to harness it. By encoding

The innovation of CRISPR can help slow down the process of death. With all diseases being cured the only way to go is either natural or some form of an accident. By successfully altering dna can simply remove a disease from the patient. Also this will help with evolution of mankind by producing the perfect people in society. As for parenting it will give the option to design their baby for height, weight, eye color, and hair color.

Worryingly, there has been minimal public debate regarding this technology that could irreversibly alter the human race. Instead, ethical discourse has been largely contained to scientific and political circles. It is extremely problematic that a large majority of the general public is unaware of the research and debate regarding human gene modification. In addition, the current debate has stagnated, with researchers and politicians being unable to find any common ground. However, upon close examination of the three main ideological groups within this controversy, a key similarity becomes apparent: each group, regardless of whether they are proponents or opponents of human gene

There are other types of gene editing out there but research shows us that CRISPR is fast, precise, and simple. Researchers are developing a way for CRISPR therapy to help with Alzheimer’s all the way to HIV. There are two categories the researchers and people have put CRISPR in: practical and philosophical. The researchers say that the immediate barrier is practical. During the tests, CRISPR has found targets in other parts of the DNA that need fixing other than the intended part of the DNA. Because of this, it may take at least a generation to ensure that it is safe. Some people oppose CRISPR because the oppositionists say it lets people play god but getting medicine every time you get sick with the same thing obscures the natural order of things. The opportunities are getting pushed ahead for treating cancer, childhood diseases that are genetic, and how to understand diabetes better. The one question some people have is whether it’s right to edit genes that are

There have been many test trials for taking steps to sure there are positive results, but there is a risk in trying something new. We will always have to be worried about failure just like into curing some diseases some people die when taking the cure. But with gene editing it's different they only thing the body can do, just reject or accepting the process. Proving the fewer risks than ejecting some unknown subject into your body with a 45% chance of it working or you dying instead. But gene editing opens new doorways to "eugenics, where those with access to the technology could select" future generations genetic traits like eye, skin or hair color, or height (12).

Imagine the possibility of eliminating serious genetic diseases from the world. Imagine the idea of treating, preventing or even curing diseases that are yet to be cured. Imagine the feeling of being given improved health and a prolonged lifespan. This can all be accomplished with the aide of genetic engineering. Human genetic engineering refers to the process of directly manipulating human DNA to produce wanted results. DNA is a simple but very complex chemical that has the power to change the world and has begun to do so already. Many opponents to gene therapy fail to realize that genetic engineering has great potential to become very important in the biomedical industry. Though controversy exists regarding the ethics of human genetic engineering, it can produce numerous benefits, which outweigh its disadvantages and side effects; therefore, scientists should be able to manipulate the human genome for the purpose of helping people with serious medical conditions.

Parents wish for their children to be perfect and, more so, healthy. Through the advancement of modern technology and science, giving birth to a child of desired hair color, body type, and without any physical or mental ailments could be a reality for all parents, whether or not they are carriers of certain genes. Genetic modification, sometimes called “germline editing,” has the potential to allow for medical doctors and scientists to not only change certain characteristics of a human embryo, but to also alter the future of humanity itself. While this process has many proponents, the modification of the very essence of human life has some people worried. This is, in fact, uncharted territory in the scientific world, and the extent of the possible

Human gene editing has long been controversial topic; however, precise techniques that accomplish this feat have only recently been discovered. According to the Welcome Genome Campus in the UK, the most versatile and simplest technique, called CRISPR-Cas9, allows scientists to cut, alter, or add to sections of the DNA sequence of living organisms (“What Is CRISPR-Cas9?”). This astonishing technology has nearly endless applications, including the potential to eradicate genetic diseases in humans that currently have no cure. This could have vast implications for people who suffer with disease and the economy of the region in which they live, but the technology has yet to be commercialized. The

There have been many cases of accidental modification of healthy genes in the body, which could suggest that genetic modifications to human DNA is far from safe. “What the paper really emphasizes is that we are far away from using genomic editing because it’s not safe. The idea of using this for designer babies is very far-fetched. The technology is too far off,” said Dusko Ilic, a stem cell researcher at King’s College, London (Sample, Ian, ed).

While the benefits of gene editing are immense, there are still multiple risk factors to be considered. Nearly every type of procedure in the medical field has at least some sort of risk element, but the fact that genetic editing alters the baseline for every single intricate part of the human body poses a far greater risk of damage to the patient. Furthermore, it would be extremely difficult to locate damages caused to the patient after the procedure has been completed because of the millions of cells that make up the body. It is of utmost certainty that genetic engineering will not be an ethical solution to genetic disorders until it has been further developed. Ethical concerns, set standards, and viability all need to be tackled first before gene editing can be a usable tool. None of the articles found for this report provided substantial evidence that gene editing or genetic engineering is ready for any type of real-world application. In fact, many of them provided evidence that it is not ready for usage. Regardless, there are certainly many roadblocks that genetic engineering has yet to overcome. Until it has been proved to be viable and safe for general usage, genetic editing does not appear to be ethically justified for usage in humans in its current

Therefore, people should consider not only the cost and attainability, but also the possible negative results and impacts on the genes. Despite some noble intentions on the part of a parent as it relates to preventing genetic defects, consideration of the negative impacts of gene manipulation are necessary. Gene editing should not be used to accomplish desirable physical traits. Furthermore, while the benefits to gene modification certainly seem attractive, there is risk associated with the practice. At this stage, it can be argued that the application of an imprecise technology that is not well understood, has the potential to create unintended generational edits. “Given the unlikely success of creating a “perfect” (i.e. presumably genetically error-free) baby, the high risk of collateral damage makes CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing ultimately unethical” (Sas et al, 2017, p. 1). Thus, while gene editing has the potential for positive results, the outcome may ultimately prove to be

Every year 7.8 million children are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partly genetic origin. (The Global Toll of Birth Defects) Imagine if this number could be halved or even reduced to a quarter of the original number. Should we not try to reduce this number? It is in our best interests to do so. The most effective way to do that is through gene editing.

Recently the scientific community has discovered Gene Editing. Gene Editing is the changing and or manipulation of the human DNA, to create certain characteristics or can be used as a method of curing a disease or disorder. There have been many disputes on whether this newfound invention should be practiced and

John Harris and Marcy Darnovsky’s article, Pro and Con: Should Gene Editing Be Performed on Human Embryos? (2016), explores the potential moral and future repercussions involved with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, a rapidly growing science. Harris argues that gene editing could be the resolution to curing detrimental illnesses before the birth of a child, and the science needs more time to experiment. On the other hand, Darnovsky argues that while gene editing may be able to treat illnesses before birth, it opens the door for parents to decide what they want their children to be like and to get rid of any undesirable traits. Both authors appeal to the audience’s logos to argue for or against gene editing and its potential consequences. Harris states

Imagine a world where we can control genetics. What if we had the opportunity to eliminate all genetic diseases in just a few steps. Imagine a society where anyone could flip through a catalog to shop for traits to “design” their child. This may seem a little far fetched, however this imagined world may soon become possible through the rapid advancing development of genetic engineering. New and advanced technology has finally made it possible to access and hack the human genome. New gene editing technology called CRISPR Cas-9 has completely transformed the biomedical field. CRISPR Cas-9 is cheap, precise, efficient and ultimately works on all living organisms. Advanced genetic technology that have allowed us to genetically modify our food and clone sheep, may one day give parents the option to modify their own children. However the idea of one day creating “designer babies” sparks great controversy.