Designer babies. Not just hair color, eye color, or height. What IQ do you want your kid to have?
It may soon be possible for parents to edit the genes of their children before they’re born, changing their DNA in ways that could affect their health and enhance their senses, strength, or even intelligence.
The situation is so close to becoming reality, in fact, that genetic experts have pushed in recent years for more discussion about whether societies will permit that sort of modification, as well as rules about what changes are permissible.
On Tuesday, a leading bioethics organization in the UKreleased a reporton the topic, which concluded that under certain circumstances, it could be ethically acceptable to genetically modify humans.
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent organization that evaluates ethical questions in biology and medicine. The group’s report suggested there could be permissible reasons to modify human embryos, even in ways that go beyond eliminating serious disease.
While that conclusion may sound like it opens the door for “designer babies,” the Nuffield Council’s report specifies that such modifications should only be acceptable if two essential conditions are met. Genetic changes would need to be made with the welfare of the modified children in mind and these changes should not increase disadvantage or division in society.
Still, a cautious acceptance of the genetic transformation humanity is big.