Cautious OK for Genetically Modified Babies
July 21, 2018
A leading bioethics advisory group in the United Kingdom says in a new report described here that genetically modifying human embryos, sperm, or eggs to influence the characteristics of a future person—a process known as heritable genome editing—could be morally permissible if it would provide meaningful benefit to the individual and would not be expected to increase discrimination or division in society. On a larger stage, an international summit recently examined the potential and challenges of human gene modification, and Issues summarized some of the presentations exploring the social, legal, ethical, and policy questions that are essential to understanding how to use or limit this new technology.