The editing of DNA: is it ethical?

Just in a single lifetime we have found out what DNA is and how to rewrite it, with contemporary society having the technology available to tamper with our genetic makeup. Yet, meddling with our DNA has been a topic of high debate, as all experiments raise difficult ethical questions, perhaps none more than the use…

Romeo Ramaekers Avatar

Just in a single lifetime we have found out what DNA is and how to rewrite it, with contemporary society having the technology available to tamper with our genetic makeup. Yet, meddling with our DNA has been a topic of high debate, as all experiments raise difficult ethical questions, perhaps none more than the use of CRISPR in human embryos. Although nobody has yet tried to start a pregnancy with those embryos, if it is ever done, we will be crossing a line that has been debated for decades. 

Creating a genetically modified baby is already illegal in at least 25 countries, and in much of Europe it has already been banned for decades. Back in 2015, the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee stated that Germline modifications could “jeopardize the inherent and therefore equal dignity of all human beings and renew eugenics”. This regards the jump from somatic gene editing (editing cells such as blood, brain, and skin cells, where the DNA does not get passed down to offspring) to germline gene editing (editing cells such as sperm, eggs, or embryos). Hence, the predominant difference is that we are then basically changing the DNA of future generations.

Furthermore, there is a divide between therapy and enhancement, therapy treats diseases and enhancements give advantages to people who are already healthy. The action today is happening between somatic gene editing and therapy, which includes treatments for people living with a disease. Yet the line between therapy and enhancement has overtime become more and more blurred. Hence, if we allow for germline edits, germline enhancements may become possible, creating the possibility of so called “designer baby’s”. Here we must ask ourselves, what do we characterise as a disease? Would you include deafness, blindness, or dwarfism?

There are rare genes linked to lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, immunity to HIV, less body odour, the ability to get by with less sleep. Yet, where do we draw the line? 

What we must pay notice to is that there are already methods in which one uses IVF to tests cells from the embryos in order to implant ones without the disease, namely a process called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Even so, this process has also been used to check for other traits, like the sex, eye colour, and with time we will be able to give an entire report card listing e.g. hair texture and skin colour. There are inherent risks and costs regarding IVF due to the egg harvest, however, it is predicted that we will eventually be able to grow human eggs in a lab using skin cells. And if we add gene editing to this it is important to ask ourselves, what do we deem as characteristics that are acceptable to modify?

About Nådiga Lundtan

Founded in 1948 and has since been an important part of student life in the economics program at Lund University. Nådiga Lundtan covers a wide range of topics related to economics, society, and politics, as well as careers, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It is a platform for students to share their ideas and opinions on economics and related fields.

View more articles
  • The beauty of shared madness – My experience queuing for Kvalborg tickets

    And thus it began. The season of the perhaps highest highs and the lowest lows of the student life season. Students are sat with their backs to the sun-warm stone wall of Lund Cathedral, iced coffee in hand. Exams are piling up and hours under the light of green lamps in the library are long.…

  • Tenta-licious: When time is worth its weight in food!

    A week before my first “tentaperiod” of the year, I realized that I no longer had time to prep my lunches. Instead, I decided to rate some of the lunch options in close proximity to the school. My criteria were that a lunch should be cheap, filling, tasty, and quick. 5 days until the exam.…

  • What´s going on with USAID? A talk with Ellen Hillbom

    President Donald Trump’s entry into office has resulted in a massive stream of executive orders. Although Trump has been vocal about the changes he wants to implement, many of the orders, both their content and the speed by which they are being issued, have surprised both voters and opponents. Many of the most radical ones…