Comments on: Genetically Engineering Babies With Less Disease—and 3 Parents—Seems Safe

By: Allison

Allison — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:46:46 +0000

It is a necessary fact that everyone among us must be allowed to voice his or her opinion, regardless of how offensive it is to our personal beliefs. If we commanded everyone who offends us to remain silent and spare us their idiocy, we’d have a world full of stuffy people who never challenge or examine themselves. The last thing we need is to descend further into the pit of absolutist ideology, presented to us as a dichotomy wherein all the vibrant colors have been muted to suit a less curious intellectual palette.

Having said that, I think that the dripping sarcasm and outright hyperbole of a few betrays a greater lack of understanding as well as misinformation on the part of politicized interests. It is easy to allow our passions to get the better of us on a subject which is not widely understood and the debate around which is colored by passionate discourse on many sides.

I believe it is worth the time to examine the implications of the uses of genetic engineering. In doing so we can present rational cases for it’s use in the context of an ethical framework and show others through our words that it’s not the bugbear that they think it is. After all, we are talking about decreasing the incidence of tragic and often life threatening medical conditions, not creating supermen.

Just a few things to consider.

By: Gloria

Gloria — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:53:39 +0000

I wonder if this process is being developed so that gay persons can have children using DNA from both partners. If so, it is a very selfish act.

By: Oblivious

Oblivious — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:03:32 +0000

I will never understand why so many people try to lay claim to the use of my (or anyone else’s for the matter) eggs and body. By that logic all women are naturally and unavoidably genocidal maniacs because we can’t possibly conceive each and every of the millions of eggs we carry.

If we can use a handful of those wasted eggs to further medical science and better our everyday lives for the advancement of our species, isn’t THAT worth it?

Why don’t we create solutions instead of propagating problems? We can terraform desserts into cropland. Why not cry about the unfairness of refusing to use that technology because of dollars of all things?

By: Iain

Iain — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:57:04 +0000

Ashley did you miss “transfers the nucleus of a fertilized egg to a fertilized donor egg whose nucleus has been removed”? See, that’s the abortion part. Two fertilized eggs make one.

Bur we really don’t need more or better reproduction right now. We need to cap our population! But of course the problem as always is, Who will decide what.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 05:40:54 +0000

I’d love for someone to explain to the rest of us how taking an egg that hasn’t even been fertilized and using its healthy mitochondria to help a couple conceive a healthy child is even remotely related to abortion? And really, Templar 7….. “It’s cheaper to get rid of a mouth to feed than to fund a happy lil clinic of death”? What do you think abortion IS?
Having said that….I think the whole idea is pretty amazing. I’d never spend the money on it as a consumer, even if I had messed up mitochondria. Hell, adopt!! ^_^

By: Vaughn

Vaughn — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 23:25:35 +0000

Prof.
you just don’t get it do you

By: Oli

Oli — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:31:44 +0000

The ‘third parent’ thing might be nice for lesbian and gay couples. If they use a surrogate parent, they can still both be biological parents of the child.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:42:17 +0000

I am the only person that thought gattaca didn’t handle its message correctly. You have genetically engineered people that are by design better, the future was looking like everything was going pretty good and the main character proved that he was just as super but what the movie never showed is any other normal people being super, so I kind of never really cared about them… (yes i do know the whole discrimination and such but it is pretty much implied by the tone that non modded humans where on the decline)

By: Kris

Kris — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 04:38:53 +0000

Gattaca, here we come!

By: Templar 7

Templar 7 — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 01:45:28 +0000

Awesome!! Now we can create a race of superhumans like Hitler wanted to!!! Not to mention the power to alter life as easy as throwing a fetus in a abortion bucket…and who thinks that the peoples of this world want more mouths to feed, no way! Talk about budget cuts (Republicans), heres a newsflash for you: It’s cheaper to get rid of a mouth to feed then to fund a happy lil clinic of death.

The beauty of it is it’s not my problem:)

By: Prof.Pedant

Prof.Pedant — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:16:11 +0000

I don’t see any ethical difficulties, the parents have a healthy child and the child has an aunt or cousin who is a bit closer to him or her biologically than usual. Raising the healthy child to be a happy healthy adult will provide the parents and other relatives with more ethical quandaries than how the child came into existence ever would.