This week, I attended the Table Talk on genetic engineering. We covered a lot of relevant topics like CRISPR, in-vitro fertilisation, and designer babies. A lot of the discussion was fuelled by our thoughts on the ethical considerations revolving around gene editing. For example, all of us agreed that if there were a way to ensure that a baby would never have any neurological diseases, we would approve of such a technique. But if that same gene change induced a change in intelligence for the baby, then we would start to see some of the negative effects of genes editing. For instance, society may start to discriminate against those who aren’t genetically modified, leading to class division and more inequality. This example really illustrated that the ethics of science is never simple because progress on one end could lead to a regression in another.

One of the things that really struck me about this talk was how these technological advances aren’t just something to be wary of in the distant future – it’s already occurring now. For in-vitro fertilisation, the couple can choose which embryo to forward with, effectively selecting for gender. I didn’t know about this previously because I thought there would be stricter regulations against this sort of choosing, but I was wrong. It really highlights the importance of having these discussions about ethics and morality in respect to technology, especially because the technology exists already and will only continue to grow more popular in the future. At the same time, if the US government restricts research and application of genetic engineering, there’s no guarantee other countries will do the same and now the US will begin to fall behind in the competition. It’s an interesting dilemma with no obvious solution but one that will have to be resolved soon.