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

I think our moves toward creating a more pluralized society, where people that have been historically deemed "genetically inferior" (the disabled, non-white people, trans people, women) have made slow and steady gains, are such that erasing that progress would require more changes to society than simply allowing genetic modification.

Genetic engineering an easy scapegoat, a slippery-slope argument that lets us jump too fast to the dystopic ending of our choice. A storyline that reduces societal, intra-personal progress to individual genetic choices is missing a big chunk of the puzzle.

I never used CRISPR when I worked in a molecular lab, just a TOL2 system which was pretty cool in its own right. But CRISPR needs a DNA probe (probes are attached to CRISPR to target very specific sequences of DNA for editing) and a way to deliver itself into the cell. I didn't read the paper myself, but I'm guessing they just do a little microinjection of CRISPR into the embryo.

And these gene edits for various hemoglobinopathies (G6PD and thalassemia), while impressive, are very simple. These are very specific mutations that when fixed, should yield a normal/working protein and a healthy phenotype.

So is abortion. And, so we're clear, allowing or in any way approving of abortion as a doctor is a far more direct violation of the Hippocratic oath than this is.

> How do you address this with policy? The same way we should be addressing inequality right now.

You mean not at all ?

I've realized though that doctors and pharmaceutical industries don't need to do anything other than save sick patients to make us utterly dependent on genetic modifications. Genetic treatments do not transmit from parent to child. So every parent you treat, the children will need to be treated as well. In some cases all of them, in other cases the chances are simply increased a bit of needing the treatment, which isn't much of a difference.

Even that is ignoring what happens when actual improvements over normal humans become available as genetic treatments. 1% bigger brain ? There is quite a bit of studies that give the impression that on average brain size does correspond to intelligence, even if there are no guarantees in individual cases. It should be an easy change in the DNA to make it a few percent bigger.

So really there's a number of choices we can do:

1) genetic modification is only allowed to be used to cure the sick

This results in the whole population becoming dependent and hostage to genetic modification. Slowly at first. Then, when we learn how to optimize humans, very rapidly.

2) genetic modification is available for parents to create embryos

This actually results in slower dependence: diseases get eliminated, including in the gametes, and any treatment does not need to be repeated in children. Still, improvements will create a class based society.

3) genetic modification is free, and not optional, at least for certain ailments (like vaccines)

This would rapidly eliminate dependence on genetic modification and would be much more fair towards everyone.