This blog post takes a balanced look at the medical hopes that human genetic engineering technology can bring, as well as the ethical controversies and unpredictable risks.
If I marry the person I love and have children, will I have a son who looks like Leonardo DiCaprio and a daughter who looks like Emma Watson? I thought that unless a tiny amount of my good-looking genes were passed on to my children or my wife was exceptionally beautiful, the chances of that happening were slim to none. However, there is good news that in a few decades, my son could be more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio, and my daughter could be more beautiful than Emma Watson.
In November 2018, Chinese researchers announced that they had successfully manipulated the genes of human embryos using CRISPR gene editing technology. Less than a year later, on April 11, 2019, researchers at Guangzhou Medical University in China announced that they had once again performed genome editing (genetic modification). Although the success rate was low, with only four of the 26 embryos successfully genetically modified, it was thought that this research would be a good opportunity to make humans more resistant to disease. However, the world was shocked by China’s successive announcements of genetic modification.
Unlike China, many countries, including Canada, prohibit genetic modification of human germ cells. Korea also completely prohibits experiments involving genetic modification of human fertilized eggs under its bioethics law. Last year, leading genetic engineering researchers around the world called for a halt to the use of innovative technologies that edit or modify the genome of human embryos. As such, many countries oppose genetic modification technology. However, through genetic modification, we can become more resistant to various diseases such as cancer and HIV, and our children may even have looks and intelligence that rival those of celebrities. So why do so many countries remain negative about this technology?
First, the biggest reason is that genetic engineering is not yet a complete technology. In April of this year, China announced that only four of 26 embryos had been successfully genetically modified. The remaining 22 embryos underwent unintended mutations. Of course, regardless of whether the modification was successful or not, those embryos should not be allowed to grow into humans. This is because, although genetic modification has been successful so far, no one can guarantee what kind of mutations humans born from such modification will have.
I do not have a religion and do not believe in the existence of God, but I believe that the birth of humans is the domain of God. This is because humans are incredibly complex systems and a collection of information that we do not yet fully understand. Even though our science and technology are growing exponentially, we still lack the scientific knowledge to fully understand human beings.
Suppose that we were able to understand all genetic information and create children with the characteristics desired by each individual. Would we be able to predict with certainty that those children would not develop mutations as they grew up? Would we be able to say with certainty that the child’s offspring would not also develop mutations? In order to answer these questions, we would have no choice but to use humans as experimental tools. This inevitably raises ethical questions about the sanctity of human life.
Assuming that all these issues are taken into consideration, what will happen when the day comes when we can choose our offspring through genetic engineering? Would it be right for our society to accept this technology and bring only healthy, beautiful, and handsome offspring into the world? Another question arises. If this process continues, genetic diversity will decrease. Some futurists say that if this genetic uniformity progresses, humans will lose their diversity and become susceptible to new diseases that will wipe out the human race. With current science and technology, we cannot know what kind of “new disease” will wipe out humanity. Ultimately, the future is a series of uncertainties. Unless someone travels to the future in a time machine, it will be impossible to clearly resolve the uncertainties of the future.
Many scientists are already raising their voices about the dangers of mutations, and various movies and books warn of the dangerous consequences of mutations and genetic engineering. The movie “The Island” depicts a situation in which many people use genetic engineering technology to create clones of themselves. The clones live in isolation on a fantasy island called “The Island,” wearing the same clothes, eating the same food, and doing the same work they are assigned. When the original humans develop diseases or other problems, they use the clones to create healthy replacements for themselves. However, the researchers who manage the clones overlook the curiosity that the clones may develop. As a result, the curious protagonist destroys this isolated facility. Although this movie is about clones, I think it warns us about the dangers of human genetic engineering. The director’s concern about the future of humanity, which has lost its humanity by creating clones to ensure its own safety, is evident in the movie.
The same is true in the movie “Gattaca.” Vincent, who has inferior genetic information to his brother due to genetic manipulation, dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but he almost gave up because of a society that did not accept his inferior genes. However, he did not give up until the end. There was a lot of content in between, but Vincent’s line was the most impressive to me.
“Everything is possible. It’s up to you to decide whether something is possible or not, isn’t it?”
As this line implies, people with good genes do not necessarily have a good destiny. Similarly, people with inferior genes are not necessarily born with a bad destiny. As such, we cannot be sure that a world created through genetic engineering will have a bright future, as depicted in the movie. There is concern that genetic engineering will become another yardstick for judging people in an already unequal society.
Another important issue of concern is human dignity. Let’s think about the process of how we came into this world. Our parents meet, fall in love, and get married. After marriage, the father’s sperm compete to reach the mother’s egg first, and the selected sperm and egg meet, are fertilized, and implanted in the uterus. Only after about 10 months of care from our parents can we, as new life, be born. As you can see, the birth of a life is a difficult process that requires a lot of competition and various conditions to be met. The dignity of human beings can be explained on various grounds, but the above explanation is also a reason why we humans are precious and dignified. However, what would happen if, with the development of genetic engineering technology, we could easily be born with good genes? As a result, the value of life would be lost. The birth of a new life would be regarded as a simple process, like creating a game character, and most people would lose their humanity, as seen in the movie The Island.
Of course, genetic engineering technology will not only lead to such negative consequences. My concern is the problems that may arise from the indiscriminate development of genetic engineering technology without proper limits. That is why I believe it is important to find the right balance in genetic engineering technology. In the future, advances in genetic engineering technology may be used to treat diseases and various types of cancer. In fact, Dr. Sergio Cezada of the University College London Cancer Institute has succeeded in cutting out genes in tumor immune cells that were not activated by cancer cells and replacing them with genes that can fight cancer. Although clinical trials on humans have not yet been conducted, this shows that genetic engineering has the potential to defeat cancer. The Chinese research introduced earlier also raises expectations for a cure for HIV. As such, human genetic engineering will allow us to hope for a healthy life free from disease. However, ethical issues will always accompany such developments.
So, which should we choose: ethical issues or disease treatment using genetic engineering? As with all issues where opinions conflict, I think it is important to find a reasonable compromise. We all want to live in a world without disease, but the genetic engineering technology necessary to achieve this is based on experiments that use life, so the question of how far we should allow this to go remains a challenge for the future. Therefore, there are many risks that we must bear before we can hastily desire a daughter like Emma Watson or a son like Leonardo DiCaprio. Before hastily developing human genetic engineering technology, we need to deeply reflect on various ethical, social, and scientific issues.
The main character Wade in the movie Deadpool gained immortality through genetic engineering, but at the same time, his face became so disfigured that he had no choice but to wear a mask. As in this movie, scientific advances have brought benefits to humans, but they have also always had side effects. Therefore, in order for human genetic engineering technology to be good news for us, we must be prepared for some bad news.
