Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

qz.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 96 posts

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#71

Post by dragonwriter »

TrumpMightWin wrote: post #61

Jokes on you! Abortion laws have tightly given time periods on when embryos and fetuses exist in the human/non-human spectrum, and thus, this simple legal loophole will allow you to do anything you want to it during the non-human phase. Roe vs. Wade will always win forever. There's an army of pinkhats who will kill you if you say otherwise.

> Abortion laws have tightly given time periods on when embryos and fetuses exist in the human/non-human spectrum

Untrue. While claims about where a fetus lies on the human/non-human spectrum are often central to anti-abortion arguments, the Constitutional cases starting with Roe on abortion do not address that issue or dictate a result on it. (The anti-abortion camp tends to misrepresent this because they believe that such a decision must control abortion policy, so they read the mere fact of a particular abortion policy as being a decision about the human/non-human issue, ignoring that that is factually not the basis of the Constitutional outcome in question.)

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#72

Post by mikeash »

goatlover wrote: post #60
jlebrech wrote: post #47

there's no ethical issue, it's just Vaccination 2.0

The real ethical concerns are what lies beyond just removing nasty inheritable diseases, which is the possibility for designer babies. But also the possibility for weaponizing CRISPR, either to create nasty viruses, or make a gene editing weapon. But beyond all that, it's the worry that a few people get to make a decision that will impact the genes of future generations. And with a gene drive, you could guarantee tha…

I have to imagine that CRISPR will be weaponized regardless of what the civilian world decides to do with it. When it happens, we'll be better off if we have as much experience with it as possible.

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#73

Post by baldfat »

legitster wrote: post #22
baldfat wrote: post #4

We ethically shouldn't do this. We should not edit human embryos. I can't write 5 pages of why we shouldn't but the fact that we could make the difference between the have and have nots will only get bigger and bigger. Doctor: So do you want the $500 edit to ensure your child won't have diabetes. How about the $2,000 Autism edit? Then the gender change edit is to late to perform. We could do artificial semination and…

I am definitely not 100% on board with editing embryos, but income inequality is the weakest possible criticism. You could argue against literally anything on the grounds that it could lead to inequality: IVF, adoption, education, medical care, technology, owning a computer, being on Hacker News. Just because something is being doled out injustly doesn't mean it shouldn't be doled out at all.

This isn't an item that is doled out it is a fundamentally bases about humanity. The analogy doesn't fit.

Can we say "All Men are Created Equal?" Not anymore.

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#74

Post by baldfat »

lawless123 wrote: post #12
baldfat wrote: post #4

We ethically shouldn't do this. We should not edit human embryos. I can't write 5 pages of why we shouldn't but the fact that we could make the difference between the have and have nots will only get bigger and bigger. Doctor: So do you want the $500 edit to ensure your child won't have diabetes. How about the $2,000 Autism edit? Then the gender change edit is to late to perform. We could do artificial semination and…

We ethically should.

Ethically we should to born humans. Absolutely do the good and the great. Unborn embryos never except what is medically to save the live of the fetus. We are not talking about medical but genetic and equality. We could no longer say "All Men are Created Equal."

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#75

Post by theWatcher37 »

TrumpMightWin wrote: post #61

Jokes on you! Abortion laws have tightly given time periods on when embryos and fetuses exist in the human/non-human spectrum, and thus, this simple legal loophole will allow you to do anything you want to it during the non-human phase. Roe vs. Wade will always win forever. There's an army of pinkhats who will kill you if you say otherwise.

This is a semi-hilarious outcome of abortion rights aveocates: single handledly legalizing genetic modification of embryos

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#76

Post by kej »

baldfat wrote: post #73
legitster wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am definitely not 100% on board with editing embryos, but income inequality is the weakest possible criticism. You could argue against literally anything on the grounds that it could lead to inequality: IVF, adoption, education, medical care, technology, owning a computer, being on Hacker News. Just because something is being doled out injustly doesn't mean it shouldn't be doled out at all.

This isn't an item that is doled out it is a fundamentally bases about humanity. The analogy doesn't fit. Can we say "All Men are Created Equal?" Not anymore.

All men are created equal means that they all have equal rights, not that they all have equal ability. I have a daughter with a recessive genetic disease and two children without it. They're already genetically unequal. Your argument would prevent a potential treatment that would have removed this inequality.

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#77

Post by theWatcher37 »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #41
mrfusion wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's sad the first comments are always stuff like this. So you want millions of people to suffer genetic diseases because income inequality?

This is like the premier example of a false dichotomy.

And this is a premier example of improper application of popular logical fallacy.

The dichotomy isn't false. Like it or not genetic diseases are easier to fix when there's fewer cells to modify. Modifying a few thousand cells will always be easier than billions.

This will mean diseases that can't be cured in adults can be prevented from childhood. Denying this is condemning untold numbers of victims to diseases we could have cured.

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#78

Post by theWatcher37 »

jszymborski wrote: post #55
empath75 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ethics or not, some country will do this, and they'll leave everyone else behind economically in a few generations.

At the risk of being too simplistic, I'd say that Nazi Germany tried doing this, to little avail.

That's like saying the nazis tried rockets so SpaceX will fail

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#79

Post by nanistheonlyist »

antisthenes wrote: post #64
zero_shift wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How do you address this with policy? The same way we should be addressing inequality right now. How _will_ we address this with policy? The same way we already do: meaning that we do not, and in fact are thrall to an army of lobbyists and interest groups who would have us believe this inequality is not just necessary but in fact morally redeemable.

That just means you have bigger problems than a few genetically enhanced humans running around. Which is, in fact, already happening without genetic enhancement: the Olympics are a pretty much a display of peak human genetic fitness, and no one loses their mind about it. What would be a problem: genetically enhanced humans reach some critical mass and decide to purge the non-enhanced ones à la Eugenics wars in Star T…

I do not understand how this is a problem. Genes that are beneficial are propagated. Genes that are detrimental are eliminated. Nature divines which is which by survival of the fittest. I want future humanity to have the best genes possible. How else will we fight off the robots?

Re: CRISPR used to genetically modify viable human embryos for the first time

#80

Post by RushAndAPush »

baldfat wrote: post #4

We ethically shouldn't do this. We should not edit human embryos. I can't write 5 pages of why we shouldn't but the fact that we could make the difference between the have and have nots will only get bigger and bigger. Doctor: So do you want the $500 edit to ensure your child won't have diabetes. How about the $2,000 Autism edit? Then the gender change edit is to late to perform. We could do artificial semination and…

Bioethicist like you are literally the worst people on earth.
Post reply on HN