Research Paper on Gene Editing

Choosing features of people is fun in games, but real life is not a game. Parents are trying to use gene editing technology to personalize their future children’s genetic makeup in order to avoid disease and personalize their looks, no matter the risks. Gene editing is a very controversial topic that has been making headlines as the research grows. Gene editing is a group of technologies that can give scientists the ability to change an embryo’s DNA in order to fix or design babies to come (“What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9?”). They say that gene editing can be the next best technology, and that it is life changing. It is said that they can prevent disease or infertility, but many risks come with that. However, many people are rightly repulsed by the idea of changing a child’s DNA before it is born. In addition to the moral implications, there are too many risks and challenges with using gene editing. Gene editing is an unnecessary technology that could cause more risks and problems for the child before and after its birth.

One risk of gene editing is that it can cause off-target mutations that no one is prepared for. It can also cause even more complications by deleting an entire gene or chromosome that is necessary for survival and growth. Christopher Gyngell et al. explains that if gene editing continues to cause mutations off the track of what is trying to be accomplished, then future generations could be overwhelmed with new diseases. This completely changes everything, and is the opposite of what was trying to be done with this technology. There are also great facts and statistics of previous experiments with gene editing of embryos that fit into this view. In one experiment, gene editing was tested in forty-five cells and viewed at different steps in the maturing process. It is stated by Marilynn Marchione that only three of those cells survived, and when trying to fix this mutation, the gene was altogether deleted. This can cause a large array of problems including death. This means that even in a large, controlled, and safe environment embryos do not succeed in this process. It is even less likely that an embryo could survive this process in the female body, out of sight of the constant attention from researchers. These are all too common of risks to be wasting our time looking deeper into gene editing, than if we were just to avoid it and let nature run its course.

These gene editing technologies that cause so many problems could also be the cause of moral and personal problems. As previously stated, gene editing is very controversial in what people believe will become a great technology to have, and those that think it is unnecessary and researching should stop. One main concern that was brought to life by Christopher Gynall et al. in his article is that gene editing will be used as a tool for humans to create their dream babies, and not merely to prevent disease. Gene editing has a much higher risk to be used as means of preference than legitimate reasons concerning diseases. Other web pages such as ones by Keith Miller, and Behnoush Hassanzadeh use great facts to describe different ways people might get out of hand with gene editing. Hassanzadeh states that as the technology gets more advanced the DNA controlling eye color, height, skin color, etc. can be edited. This can cause risks of sexism and racism in our world. Miller uses the same argument and brings to our attention that if features of children can be changed, then genetic diversity will decrease. Parents are overall becoming too greedy over a technology that isn’t even out yet to use. If there are already this many risks, and this much greed then it can only be imagined as to how overwhelming everyone will be when it is created. Plus the people that are already trying to change features of their unborn baby are going to go through the chance of testing the technology and facing the side effects on their own. All of these obstacles, risks, and issues can be completely avoided by no longer testing or researching this gene editing technology.

This idea of designing babies will also potentially spiral down into a larger separation of social classes. Gene editing is not going to be anywhere near cost efficient, and therefore only the people who are wealthy enough to afford it will use it. People like to claim that gene editing will be the next best thing. Keith Miller uses his webpage to describe both sides of the argument. Gene editing is said that it will eradicate diseases, and fix all of the fertility issues that some partners may face. We also once again see that partners might want to specify their baby's features. Either way there is no possibility of everyone trying this that wants to. Gene editing technology is going to cost a lot of money, this could range “between $373,000 and $2.1 million” (Muigai). Even the current research going on costs a lot. This is going to make it so every social class will not be able to afford it. If only the wealthy are able to use this technology then it will cause an even larger gap between classes. Marilynn Marchione explains that even in the United States, federal funds are not permitted to be used for research on human embryos. If the U.S. can not even use its money to research, then average people definitely will not be able to get the money to actually go through with the process. Not only is there a disconnect between those who will or will not get to use gene editing technology, there is also a disconnect with the research itself. In the U.S., there is so much private money being put into this research that could be used for greater good. Gene editing is not a necessary factor in the lives of the people. Plus, everything about this technology is a preference and in no means is fair to all the people that it interests.

Creating a perfect child might seem like fun and games, but this is real life. Everything we do comes with risks, and editing the genetic makeup of an embryo has many.  Whether it’s the off-target mutations, gene deletions, outrageous cost, or the moral dilemmas that come with this technology, parents have to decide what is right. Making a convenient decision at the start of a child's life may very well result in great consequences later on. There are too many factors that point to gene editing being an unnecessary technology to continue researching and testing. It is necessary that parents and researchers stop trying to play God and let things happen how they are meant to.