By: Leroy Koh.
It’s a common belief that no one is perfect. No matter how attractive, intelligent, or appealing one seems, it is certain that they have countless imperfections. Even though imperfections are certain, the human race is obsessed with ridding themselves of these blemishes. Normally, these attempts to become perfect are superficial. Whether it’s an injection of botox or a purchase of a designer bag, these actions don’t exactly allow one to achieve “perfection.” However, in our modern-day society, some actions are not skin deep, but in fact as deep as each cell in our body. With breakthroughs in science and technology, genome editing has become a reality. In the future, through genetic editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, we may be able to create perfection. This paper will aim to briefly explain the science behind genetic manipulation, the current state of it, and most importantly, the ethical concerns of creating perfection.
The process of genetic editing is relatively new, so it is almost certainly subject to change in the future. Currently, all genetically modified babies would be created through in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which a woman’s eggs and a man’s sperm are combined in a lab to artificially create an embryo. Furthermore, the most popular option today for genetic editing is CRISPR-Cas9 genetic editing. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and was discovered by Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier in 2012. The CRISPR process begins with a small RNA guide sequence that attaches to a target sequence in a cell’s DNA (What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9?, 2022). After attachment, the RNA also attaches to a Cas9 enzyme, which acts as “scissors” that cleave the DNA. Finally, scientists utilize the body’s own repair mechanism to add, delete, or replace genetic material.
Although there are many current limitations, the potential for CRISPR-Cas9 appears almost endless. For one, gene editing can completely eliminate genetic diseases. According to JAMA Network Open, 41% of infant deaths are a result of genetic disorders. CRISPR technology could theoretically mitigate these deaths. Right now, CRISPR is approved for diseases such as Sickle Cell Disease and Beta-Thalassemia and is projected to be able to cure other conditions such as HIV or even cancers in the near future. Also, according to The World Health Organization, around 1 in 100 people are affected by genetic diseases, or 3.5 million individuals in the United States, meaning genetic therapy can positively impact millions. It also must be noted that genetic therapy can be cheaper than alternative treatments. For example, hemophilia medications cost an average of 270 thousand dollars annually. On the other hand, a one time gene edit can completely cure a child from hemophilia. To summarize, genetic editing can result in exceptional upsides. However, like many things, these benefits come with many demerits. For example, gene editing has the possibility of resulting in unintentional mutations. Nonsense mutations, amino acid deletions, and frameshift mutations can occur, resulting in dangerous effects. Genetic manipulation can even completely break strands of DNA. Oxford University’s Nada Kubikova, who conducted a study on the utilization of CRISPR on embryos, stated, “Our results show that the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in early human embryos carries significant risks… …More often, the strand of DNA is permanently broken, which could potentially lead to additional genetic abnormalities in the embryo” (New study warns of dangers of gene editing in human embryos, 2023). Over the years, though, these dangers have and will almost certainly continue to improve. Therefore, current use of genetic manipulation for curing diseases is generally seen as ethical. However, the broader ethics of genetic manipulation are not as trivial.
Other than the aforementioned potentials of genetic manipulation in curing diseases, genetic manipulation can also reach a higher scope, being able to change traits such as height, skin color, athletic prowess, and even intelligence. These changes would mainly be done through the creation of designer babies, which are embryos that have been genetically modified to select for specific traits. Designer babies have been especially controversial in recent years. On one hand, creating designer babies could improve the quality of lives of those babies as they grow up. Those babies could be smarter, stronger, and basically genetically superior to others. Heck, someone could maybe even create 20 replicas of LeBron James. On the other hand, the ability to create 20 LeBron James and create “perfect” versions of babies is exactly why genetic manipulation is so controversial. First of all, it must be noted that these trait modifications are mostly created through germline editing. Germline editing is the editing of egg and sperm cells. This means that these changes are passed down throughout genetics, meaning that if you change your son’s eye color to be blue, it will be passed down to your grandson, your great-grandson, your great-great grandson, etc. This is especially significant because it demonstrates why designer babies are so dangerous. Not only would these changes be permanent, it is almost certain that designer babies would result in immense inequalities. Regarding the modification of human traits, the NIH states, “Inequality could also get worse insofar as only some reproducers would likely have access to the most advanced forms of genetic editing, which would make their children much more advantaged and likely to occupy the pre-eminent positions in the economic, political, and cultural hierarchy. A scenario that even Hawking (2018) feared” (Parental Selective Reproduction: Genome-Editing and Maternal Behavior as a Potential Concern, 2019). Not only will the rich have a wealth and status upper hand, they will literally be genetically advantaged, almost like a superior race. A genetically modified elite could consolidate power by ensuring that their children are always more capable and healthy than naturally conceived individuals. Those who cannot afford enhancements would be at a permanent disadvantage, locked into lower-paying jobs or excluded from leadership roles, resulting in a permanent class divide inequality into “haves” and “have-nots”. Additionally, this form of genetic editing would certainly perpetuate and support racism, unjust biases, and eugenics. Just imagine a world where every parent can choose what their child looks like. They could choose their child to have a certain skin color or sex, based on their “ideal” vision of a human being. This would almost certainly result in a resurgence of unopposed racism, xenophobia, and sexism. All of these would contribute to a horrifying future filled with division, hierarchies, and chaos.
Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about this terrifying future. Designer babies are legally banned in almost all countries with the capabilities, with a notable example of the US continuing this ban in 2019. Due to these bans, there has only been one instance of designer babies. In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced the birth of two babies with edited genes. Jiankui used CRISPR editing to create a resistance to HIV in these babies. As a result, he was imprisoned for three years by the Chinese government for illegal medical practices. Since then, no documented instances of designer babies have occurred. Additionally, multiple organizations such as the Center for Genetics and Society are strictly against designer babies. With this, we don’t need to worry about a future with designer babies, at least not yet.
To conclude, genetic editing can be an extremely valuable tool, but also poses threats for disaster. If one allows their desire for perfection to corrupt them, horrible consequences can occur. Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World shows us an example of these consequences: A fake, authoritarian, and delusional world in which imperfections are sought to be destroyed. Whether it’s through genetic editing or other means, we cannot let our world become like this. Our imperfections are what make us human, and we need to accept the fact that it’s okay to be imperfect. In the end, rather than attempting to play God and create perfection, we ought to live the life we were given to the fullest and embrace our individuality.
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