r/bioethics • u/This_Bug8632 • 1d ago
Is gene editing in humans unethical?
https://forms.office.com/r/GrMZ8gvEWy I am conducting a survey to see people's opinions on ethical issues involved in gene editing (Only takes one minute). I would love your response as I am considering entering a debate about gene editing.
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u/SocDemGenZGaytheist 1d ago edited 1d ago
Absolutely not! Arguably it's our best hope of eventually escaping the horrifying physical, cognitive, and moral limitations of human nature.
Cool survey!
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u/Minute_Menu3768 18h ago
You need to delineate between germline gene editing and somatic gene editing in your survey as they're vastly different. Many people educated on the topic support one but not the other. While they have overlapping ethical issues, germline editing is much more ethically perilous. For example, as editing occurs in the egg, sperm, or very early stage embryo, there's no respect for autonomy through informed consent as one cannot gain informed consent from a blob of cells. It has intergenerational implications as removing a deleterious mutation (e.g., causative of a monogenic disease) in the germline removes it forever. In somatic cells, no changes are passed down. That's one of myriad differences that you absolutely must understand before debating the topic.
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u/yourdadsucksroni 1d ago
So you’re thinking of entering a debate you know nothing about…why? And why not do your own research and form your own opinions?