OK, the title is a bit strong and potentially misleading. But it lets me use my 2nd favorite baby picture in the article.
The FDA is deciding whether or not to approve an invitro fertilization technique that combines genetic material from 3 parents.
The goal is prevent certain inheritable diseases - such as muscular dystrophy - by replacing bad genetic material from one parent with good material from a 3rd party.
The UK recent approved this technique, which technically isn't genetic engineering in that genes are not modified.
So is this the next step down the road towards designer babies? Some think so. Key quote on this from CNN's FDA considering 3 parent embryos:
"The big issue over the next 5 to 10 years is going to become how far do we go in pursuit of the perfect baby," said Caplan. "Do I think we're going down that road? Yes. Does it creep me out? Yes. Are you going to be able to draw a clear line? I don't think so."
It's hard to argue against a technique that doesn't modify DNA and eliminates the risk that a child will get a disease like muscular dystrophy. So I think the FDA should approve the procedure.
But this raises a lot of ethical issues. For example, a similar technique could potentially be used to make a child taller, or stronger or even smarter. Should this be allowed?
At what point do we stop going down this road?
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