Essay about Genetically Modified Children

Genetically modified (GM) children have become a part of society since He Jiankui decided to proceed with DNA editing of human embryos to create twin girls. When he did this, it created a lot of issues with the local medical ethics board. They questioned whether his experiment broke Chinese laws or regulations, others question whether they should be able to genetically modify their kids. When you choose to modify your child whether it be for health or just appearance, you are giving them an implication of perfection which adds a lot of pressure to that child. When deciding to modify these abnormalities be sure to learn more about the process. There could be a slip-up during the process which could cause abnormalities to health and appearance. Therefore, parents should not be able to genetically modify their children, due to the consent implications, dangers and pressure brought upon the child.  

Consent has become one of the largest controversial topics in our society. Even though a fetus can’t necessarily choose whether they want to be genetically modified or not, in the future it may raise even more chaos. Parents may think modification will help the child in the long run but as “Princeton microbiologist Lee Silver has put it, all that anyone will ever get from the use of cloning, or any other reproductive technology, is an unpredictable son or daughter, who won't listen to his parents any more than my children will listen to me” (Steinbock, B.)  People may say well no one is going to want a disability or deformity. While that may be true, the fact is that it will harm any type of relationship you could want with the child without enough evidence of this process.  

Trying to decide whether you want to genetically modify your child is difficult and it opposes many questions. You want to be certain of looking at what could occur during this process and how far into research it has gone. There could be a slip-up during the process which could cause abnormalities to health and appearance. Scientists all over have stated that “The knowledge on the risk of these editing tools is insufficient especially when modifications are heritable” (Pang, R. T. K). This would make it even more dangerous than the genetic make-up the child could inherit. Children who are genetically modified become an experiment due to the lack of information in He Jiankui’s modifying procedures. 

Parent expectations could pressure the child to be everything their parents want them to be almost as if they feel guilty if they don’t. For example, “parents might insist that a child play sports when he or she would rather be in the drama club, or that all the child's free time be spent in pursuit of getting into a prestigious university.” (Steinbock, B.)  All this pressure makes a child see the world through their parents’ views of perfection. “Thomas Murray has put the point when parents attempt to shape their children's characteristics to match their preferences and expectations, such an exercise of free choice on the parents' part may constrain their child's prospects for flourishing.” (Steinbock, B.) 

With all being said due to the consent implications parents shouldn’t genetically modify their children because of the pressure and dangers that present themselves on the child. When a child gets genetically modified, it's in an attempt to change what will happen, whether it be a disease or an appearance. The potential danger in doing this causes potential abnormalities, such as deformities or disorders. This makes the child feel like they must be exactly what their parents had planned for them to be. When looking into genetically modifying a child be sure that you understand not only health but every danger that comes with doing so.