Human genetic engineering has arrived, and it’s not pretty. The Center for Genetics and Society, a non-profit organization that promotes responsible gene editing, explains the problem on its website:
One can use human genetic modification (or “gene editing”) in two very different ways. Somatic genome editing changes the genes in a patient’s cells to treat a medical condition. A few gene therapies are approaching clinical use but remain extraordinarily expensive.
By contrast, heritable genome editing would change genes in eggs, sperm, or early embryos to control a future child’s traits. Such alterations would affect every cell of the resulting person and all subsequent generations.
Heritable genome editing is unacceptable for safety, ethical, and social reasons. It is prohibited in 70 countries and by a binding international treaty. Nevertheless, in 2018 one scientist announced the birth of twins whose embryos he had edited. This reckless experiment intensified debate between advocates of heritable genome editing and those concerned it could exacerbate inequality and lead to new, market-based eugenics.
Heritable Genome Editing
It’s easy to imagine the problems coming from heritable genome editing. Rich people will start paying to enhance the genetic features of their future children, making them smarter, stronger, and better looking. Countries will begin developing genetically modified soldiers, making them fearless, super-strong, pain-tolerant, and ruthless. In addition, heartless governments will start creating more docile people who can serve as slaves for the wealthy. The list of problems goes on and on.
And while 70 countries have declared that they won’t go down this path, it won’t take long for them to renege on their pledge when their enemies start developing new classes of soldiers and super-smart scientists. Fear will trigger a race toward this new genetic technology, just like the 1957 Soviet launch of Sputnik started the space race of the 1960s.
Imagine a nation creating a class of genetically modified super-geniuses who could develop advanced war technology. Such action would alter the balance of world power for generations. For example, armed with greater intelligence, a country could have quantum computing and nuclear fusion breakthroughs. These two technological leaps would be enough to enable that country to dominate the planet.
Can Genetic Engineering Be Stopped?
What can we do to rein in human genetic engineering, given the problems it will unleash on humanity? Very little, I imagine. In all likelihood, these genetically altered humans will become the next link in human development. Like the finches Darwin observed, humans will adapt, alter and modify based on environmental factors. While the finches evolved to help them eat insects more efficiently from within the bark of trees, humans will evolve based on genetic alteration in the laboratory making them brighter and more powerful.
Eventually, they will overtake unmodified humans unless God intervenes to stop the madness by making them sterile or otherwise unstable. But God often has a hands-off approach, letting us make big mistakes so we can learn from them.
Beware of the Slippery Slope
We might think it will be easy to choose the moral high ground, rejecting human genetic engineering. But what happens when scientists declare that this fantastic new medical breakthrough can once and for all cure diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s? Again, we might be inclined to say, “Alright, we’ll make an exception for this good cause.” However, once the cat is out of the bag, it may be hard to get it back in.
In fact, the Chinese scientist who successfully applied human genetic engineering to a set of twin baby girls in 2018 was motivated by a sense of helping the families. The father had HIV, and the genetic modification helped the girls avoid developing the disease. The scientist, He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, stated that his group had reflected deeply on how to help families facing risks of genetic diseases. “We believe ethics are on our side of history,” he stated.
Human Genetic Engineering Starts With Good Intentions
In the best-case scenario, human genetic engineering starts with good intentions. However, in the worst case, bad actors develop the technology with bad intentions. In either case, manipulating human DNA is an unstoppable dangerous idea and is most likely developing in labs all over the globe right now. The Chinese scientist is not the first to do this work. He’s simply the first to report it.
Solving The Problem
We will not resolve the problems associated with human genetic engineering at the national or international level, despite the rhetoric of international organizations calling for “responsible action from all countries.” Instead, each of us, as individuals, will have to make a choice. Are we going to give in to the temptation of altering the genetic code of our children? Will we allow the government to use our tax dollars to develop a new race of warriors, genius scientists, and docile enslaved people? More challenging still, can we afford to ignore this new technology and risk being overrun by enemies that happily embrace these ideas?
Where To Put Your Faith
Putting our faith in people and governments will only get us so far in tackling the challenges of human genetic engineering. No international organization or consensus of powerful nations will be able to stop its development. Fear, greed, and opportunism will drive its growth in the next twenty years. We need to spread awareness of this looming danger and take precautions as best we can.
However, let’s remember that the best solution to seemingly impossible problems is to keep strong faith in God. He is equipped to tackle the thorniest of troubles. So while we strive to manage the challenges of human genetic engineering, let’s continue to trust in God and pray for His divine direction and intervention.
About Raleigh Acupuncture
We’ve been providing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to the Greater Raleigh community since 2005. Acupuncture is an ancient medicine, yet it still works incredibly well in resolving pain and healing disease. Sometimes traditional medicine works better than new medicine. Likewise, traditional values often lead to better outcomes than new values. Human genetic engineering is a new idea that may look bright and shiny on the outside but is likely to bring a lot of trouble. Let’s prepare for the coming crisis, so it doesn’t blindside us.
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Photo by Edward Jenner: https://www.pexels.com/photo/female-scientist-in-white-lab-coat-using-a-microscope-4032060/