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Comment from UTT:
Now humans have the possibility of producing mail order babies. You can pick whatever features you want and design whatever you want. What if the designer model turns out to be disgusting? Will humans have the right to kill their offspring too? What would be the limits? Could you produce a half goat and a half man? Why not?
September 2 - Engineering the Human RaceArticle: Cloning And Genetic Engineering
A young couple sits in a lavish designer office, flipping through catalogues and hemming and hawing over the latest styles and features. She is a radiant young woman with exquisite cheekbones and flashing eyes. He is a tall, muscular fellow with wavy hair and a flawless smile. As they bicker over color choices, they could be picking out a living room set or a new minivan. But in fact they are shopping for the attributes they would like to give their firstborn child—a son or daughter who will join them in the ranks of a new race of designer humans.
This is not a scene from a science-fiction film. It’s a scene from our future, according to stem-cell researcher Paul Knoepfler ’89. His new book, GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies, explores the history of genetically modified organisms, our capacity to apply this technology to people, and the ethical questions surrounding both.
Knoepfler argues that the clock is ticking when it comes to preparing for genetically modified humans. He speculates that the first attempts could be made as soon as within the next five years, largely due to the success of a new gene editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9 (often shortened to CRISPR and pronounced “crisper”) ,which he describes as a “genetic Swiss Army knife.”
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