On Nov. 6, Psychology Professor Reggie Williams, led the Gadfly Cafe discussion based on the topic of Genetic Engineering and Reproduction. The question discussed was, “Should people be allowed to genetically engineer their offspring’s DNA?”
We are at a point in time where we can use biology to genetically engineer DNA. BC Professor Joe Saldivar explains how new technology called CRISPR, which is short for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats” can grab and modify DNA.
In the future, those who are expecting will have the option to genetically engineer their offsprings genetics in their DNA. Future parents can modify their child’s height, weight, and other parts of their appearance. There is a leading factor of whether this may lead to other reasons of genetic engineering.
There are endless possibilities for children to be born with genetics that can cause future impacts to their health. By using genetic engineering we can either help the future or demolish future families. Some students during the discussion addressed that their is a possibility that future parents may use genetic engineering to potentially get rid those who may have disabilities.
“Our society’s emphasis on usefulness risks marginalizing disabled people, especially concerning genetic engineering. Oftentimes disabled lives are judged as less successful due to limitations in workforce productivity or independence. Rather than using genetic engineering to make disabled people fit societal standards, society should adapt to be more inclusive of the disabled community,” said BC student Chloe Caldasso-Smith.
Other questions that arose in the conversation were: are you going to accept your child or modify it to fit the features society values? Many may treat their offspring as an object instead of an actual human being. What is genetic engineering in the evolution of the future? Would humans be the next animals?
“Generally, I fall on the same basis of getting rid of cancer and other illnesses. Also, I am against future parents using this as a cosmetic factor, but it is a dangerous can of worms. Once we have the ability and option to genetically modify DNA, people will explore and push the boundaries of genetic engineering. It feels as though instead of having a child, they will have an animal instead” said BC student Evan Augei.