Designer Babies: The Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering

By Maria Alejandra Ruiz, an EconomicsFinance and LSM Global Perspectives double major.

As we slide deeper into the twenty-first century, the idea of a perfect designer baby has gone from Hollywood-style science fiction to an impending reality.

The eradication of fatal and nonfatal diseases and the possible enhancement of basic and infinitely complex human traits are at the center of an ongoing bioethical debate. Given the numerous enhancements and possibilities in human genetic engineering, is it ethical to genetically modify and/ or enhance human babies?

The Bentley University Honors Program requires its senior members to develop an individual capstone research project as a culminating experience before graduation. During each fall and spring semester, senior students and their advisers are hard at work researching, either independently or through a small-themed seminar course. As a senior, in the fall of 2015 I chose to enroll in the seminar course due to the invaluable structure and deadlines set by Professor Johannes Eijmberts, as well as the interesting topics that would be covered.

The general theme of the course was business, science, and technology. Professor Eijmberts encouraged students to select a current, relevant issue or topic that did not necessarily fall within their major or area of study. As an Economics-Finance major, I had considered developing my research paper based on financial modeling or monetary economics. The course, however, encouraged me to go beyond finance or economics and to consider research topics such as NASA exploration, fracking, climate change, immunotherapy and human genetic engineering.

I chose to embark on a research paper regarding human genetic engineering and the ethical implications of creating so-called designer babies. The recent developments in biotechnology and genetic engineering and the ongoing bioethical debate on human gene editing led me to the fundamental question that was central to my honors capstone project: Given the numerous advancements and possibilities in human genetic engineering, is it ethical to genetically modify and/or enhance human babies?

Human genetic engineering consists of introducing foreign DNA into a human in order to specifically alter its genetic structure. That can range from preventing or curing a disease, to enhancing basic human traits such as eye color, sex, intelligence, and even voice pitch. Those who oppose any tampering with the human genome fear that human genetic engineering is going a step too far, and that it might lead us to medical catastrophes and an unequal world in which designer babies are perceived as superior to genetically weak individuals. On the other hand, simply tweaking the genetic structure of unborn babies can also lead to healthier, longer, and more productive human lives.

Human genetic engineering is becoming increasingly feasible and possible due to recent developments in the biotechnology field. A new gene-editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas9 can precisely snip out a diseased mutation and replace it with healthy DNA. The United Kingdom recently approved mitochondrial replacement, a technique that transfers the nucleus, where the genetic instructions for making a person are stored, from the egg of a woman with mutant mitochondria to a donor egg containing healthy mitochondria. About one in 5,000 babies worldwide are born with mitochondrial DNA mutations that cause disease in vital organs such as the muscles, the heart and the brain. Scientists believe that we are merely decades, if not years, away from successfully genetically modifying babies, curing and preventing not just mitochondrial diseases, but a wide range of genetic diseases.

The main goal of my honors capstone project was to answer the question of whether most Americans support human genetic modification to eradicate, cure and/orprevent disease. Driven by the assumption that public and scientific opinion constitutes an important factor in the regulation and control of clinical research in the United States, I attempted to predict the future of human genetic engineering policy by analyzing the public outlook. I gathered sample data by distributing a survey to Bentley University undergraduates in November 2015.

Qualitative, quantitative and correlational analysis of the survey and from external data sources led to the following conclusion: Most Americans do support human genetic modification for the purposes of eradicating, curing and/or preventing hereditary diseases but firmly reject human genetic enhancement for designer babiessignaling a clear distinction between the two for future policy. Historically, scientific and public outlook have had a strong influence on the regulation of medical techniques and research in the United States. Hence, the government is most likely to allow strictly regulated human genetic engineering research and to approve the clinical use of mitochondrial replacement techniques in the near future.

The semester-long capstone project led me to develop an educated opinion on the timely and controversial topic of human genetic engineering. I found the Honors Programs culminating project to be a uniquely fulfilling experience that demanded my full commitment and dedication while promoting excellence and academic growth.

A version of this article first appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Columnas, the Bentley University honors program newsletter.

Originally posted here:
Designer Babies: The Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering