Does we have an ethical responsibility to serve the public good? If so, what are the limits of that responsibility? Our cells? Our embryos? What happens when technology outpaces the limits of our imagination?
An article that ran in Slate magazine in August 2017 about genome editing poses just these kinds of questions. The article discusses scientific experiments involving human embryos that raises concerns about “designer babies” and questions the ethical and moral implications of tinkering with the human genome. Government agencies have become involved as well as medical and scientific groups. Here’s where reading the entire article rather than the just the scandalous headline comes in handy because there is another issue to be considered, one that doesn’t concern itself with eye color or athletic prowess: how scientific breakthroughs on genome editing could eventually “stop devastating genetic disorders.” What if we could prevent heart disease, sickle cell, or cystic fibrosis? These questions have no easy answers, which is why it’s important to keep talking about them. After reading the article, weigh in on the debate by posting a comment below.
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About this blogA blog is an online conversation. This one is for students of writing and is an extension of our face-to-face classroom. Here is where we can continue a discussion started in class, ask questions, and test new ideas. Archives
March 2020
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