Gene Editing - The Parental Angle

James Metzl’s book, Hacking Darwin, is about genetic editing and the future it is likely to yield. How are things likely to play out as these technologies become more commonplace, affordable and accessible? Yes, there’s the risk of those Frankenstein’s Monsters, but there are other aspects too.

 

But first, he pokes holes in the “It’s not natural” argument against gene editing:

“We have deep seated ideas of what’s natural, but much of it isn’t natural at all… We have been in the business of altering the biological and other systems around us for so long.”

How is agriculture natural, he asks. Do crops grow like this left to themselves? And over thousands of years, hasn’t our choice of which plants and crops to grow led to selective breeding of varieties and traits that suit us?

 

Consider those fatal diseases that kill early that are based on a single gene:

“If you could prevent your child from having the disease in the first place (by genetic editing), would you do that?”

This is an instance where most people do support genetic editing.

 

Now consider a scenario where no genes are edited. But multiple embryos are conceived in a lab using the un-edited eggs and sperms of parents. No editing in this scenario but you get to decide which embryo becomes your baby after all the embryos’ genes have been analyzed. That analysis tells you “statistical probabilities” of certain diseases, certain characteristics. Yes, it’s all probabilities, nothing for sure. But if studies say “tall people have higher income”, even though you don’t think that’s fair, wouldn’t it better to have a taller child, for your child’s prospects? Or take the case of IQ:

“You know IQ doesn’t measure everything… But are you prepared to reject the concept of IQ out of hand and leave it to your future child to suffer the consequences if you are wrong?”

You know the answer, and it will often be based on the fact that:

“Other parents are making those same decisions.”

 

Which is why journalist Jon Entine wrote:

“Modern eugenic aspirations are not about the draconian top-down measures promoted by the Nazis and their ilk. Instead of being driven by a desire to “improve” the species, new eugenics is driven by our personal desire to be as healthy, intelligent and fit as possible – and for the opportunity of our children to do so as well.”

 

I feel it’s pretty clear which way parents will head on this topic… world-over.