No ‘designer babies’: Groups warn of potential dangers in human embryo modification
RT.com
1 Dec, 2015
US scientists and activists have called for global prohibition on “germline editing,” or the genetic modification of human embryos, saying “there is no justification for, and many arguments against” the looming technology.
Ahead of the International Summit on Human Gene Editing in Washington, DC, around 150 scientists, health practitioners, scholars, and others led by the Center for Genetics and Society (CGS) have grouped together to call for a ban of heritable human genetic modification that could lead to “genetically modified humans” or “designer babies.”
Such developments “could irrevocably alter the nature of the human species and society,” they said in an open letter.
Germline editing, during which reproductive cells are modified, stands in contrast to other gene-editing techniques that can be used to alter non-reproductive cells in order to treat impaired human tissue, the group said.
“Gene editing may hold some promise for somatic gene therapy (aimed at treating impaired tissues in a fully formed person),” the letter reads. “However, there is no medical justification for modifying human embryos or gametes in an effort to alter the genes of a future child.”
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