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British scientists are now allowed to edit the genes of human embryos


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Guest El Chalupacabra

As long as there are no penalties or discrimination for people who choose not to and is not done out of a racist (eugenic) reason, if you had the power to prevent a baby from having a disease or disability in utero, why wouldn't you? Hell, we have enough stupid people as it is, why not raise the IQ while you're at it? I'm for cloning organs and body parts, too.

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As long as there are no penalties or discrimination for people who choose not to and is not done out of a racist (eugenic) reason, if you had the power to prevent a baby from having a disease or disability in utero, why wouldn't you? Hell, we have enough stupid people as it is, why not raise the IQ while you're at it? I'm for cloning organs and body parts, too.

The issue is that most dynamics of a person, such as intelligence, have little to do with adjusting a gene here or a gene there. Most traits are a systematic inner-working of the combination of a persons genetics and the environment they come from.

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As long as there are no penalties or discrimination for people who choose not to and is not done out of a racist (eugenic) reason, if you had the power to prevent a baby from having a disease or disability in utero, why wouldn't you? Hell, we have enough stupid people as it is, why not raise the IQ while you're at it? I'm for cloning organs and body parts, too.

The issue is that most dynamics of a person, such as intelligence, have little to do with adjusting a gene here or a gene there. Most traits are a systematic inner-working of the combination of a persons genetics and the environment they come from.
Yeah.. A simple genetic tweak won't fix a lot of things.

 

At what point of genetic manipulation do we take away from what nature and evolution intends and accidentally screw ourselves?

 

I don't have a problem with genetic tampering from an ethical point of view. I don't hold our genetic makeup to be something sacred, or even human life to be sacred or a "Devine gift" or what have you. But I would worry that our inquisitiveness and tampering might somehow shoot ourselves in the feet when messing around with our building blocks.

 

If we get rid of genetic heart disease through embryo tweaking, or genetic obesity, or any other genetic disorder.. Surely we're ****ing with a natural balance of things. Population will rise... Food amounts not so much etc... What knock on effects could happen? Never mind the sacred cow. Are we just gonna be like kids playing with matches?

 

Edit: I'm aware these embryos are not being implanted into mothers... I was just taking my thoughts and maybe the conversation forward to if they were.

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At what point of genetic manipulation do we take away from what nature and evolution intends and accidentally screw ourselves?

 

I don't have a problem with genetic tampering from an ethical point of view. I don't hold our genetic makeup to be something sacred, or even human life to be sacred or a "Devine gift" or what have you. But I would worry that our inquisitiveness and tampering might somehow shoot ourselves in the feet when messing around with our building blocks.

 

If we get rid of genetic heart disease through embryo tweaking, or genetic obesity, or any other genetic disorder.. Surely we're ****ing with a natural balance of things. Population will rise... Food amounts not so much etc... What knock on effects could happen? Never mind the sacred cow. Are we just gonna be like kids playing with matches?

 

Edit: I'm aware these embryos are not being implanted into mothers... I was just taking my thoughts and maybe the conversation forward to if they were.

It's always the unforeseen consequences that get us.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

 

At what point of genetic manipulation do we take away from what nature and evolution intends and accidentally screw ourselves?

 

I don't have a problem with genetic tampering from an ethical point of view. I don't hold our genetic makeup to be something sacred, or even human life to be sacred or a "Devine gift" or what have you. But I would worry that our inquisitiveness and tampering might somehow shoot ourselves in the feet when messing around with our building blocks.

 

If we get rid of genetic heart disease through embryo tweaking, or genetic obesity, or any other genetic disorder.. Surely we're ****ing with a natural balance of things. Population will rise... Food amounts not so much etc... What knock on effects could happen? Never mind the sacred cow. Are we just gonna be like kids playing with matches?

 

Edit: I'm aware these embryos are not being implanted into mothers... I was just taking my thoughts and maybe the conversation forward to if they were.

It's always the unforeseen consequences that get us.

 

Yes! Superior ability breeds superior ambition!

 

Khan1.jpg

 

Of course I am for placing limits on genetic manipulation, but I think with regard to birth defects or disease, that is a totally reasonable thing to do, if the proper research is done, first.

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