Are we ready for designer babies? CRISPR gene editing is about to unleash a new eugenics revolution

by Katarina Bradford | The Blaze

What if the technology that holds the promise to cure cancer also heralds an era of “designer babies”? This notion isn’t merely speculative; it’s a pressing bioethical concern that demands our attention.

Traditionally, the medical industry focuses on healing. Antibiotics are doled out for infections, chemotherapy and radiation remain standard cancer treatments, and over-the-counter medications offer temporary relief from ailments like the common cold. This reactive approach implies a system designed to address health issues only after they emerge rather than attempting to cure the human body of what has long been deemed ultimately incurable: mortality.

Can we cautiously explore CRISPR’s healing possibilities without encroaching into eugenic-like enhancement?

Yet, a “transhumanist” faction movement of scientists and futurists seeks to change all that. They propose a future in which biomedical technology doesn’t just react to disease but rather actively prevents it by going to the source: the human genome. Imagine viewing the human genome as a piece of software — a system ripe for reprogramming. The role of scientists and doctors can morph into that of an engineer to modify our very DNA, eradicating diseases like cancer before they can take root. Can ending death itself be far behind?

At the heart of this ambition lies CRISPR-Cas9, a revolutionary gene-editing tool hailed as the “preferred method” for genomic modification by the National Institutes of Health. According to the NIH, it has the ability to “modify the genome … in any region.” With CRISPR, scientists can target and eliminate genetic “malware” long before it manifests into illness. Read Full Article >

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