Ethics Blog Post #1

The topic I am choosing is the genetic engineering of human embryos. Genetic engineering is the modification of the genes of someone to change their characteristics, and in terms of a human embryo, it is the genetic modification of an embryo to prevent the developing of certain characteristics, like genetic diseases. This topic relates to all of the pillars of medical ethics, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. It terms of autonomy, modifying genetically a human embryo gives the child no autonomy - they have no say in wether or not they want to be genetically modified. In terms of beneficence, genetic engineering of human embryos can actually be of benefit to the eventual child. It can help prevent genetic disease, lower the risks of diseases in generations to come, increase life expectancy, increase intelligence, etc. However, in terms of non-maleficence, genetic modification of human embryos can actually produce disastrous effects as the technology has not been fully developed. Genetic engineering can possibly make mistakes while modifying embryos' genes, and if they were to reproduce, it can cause lasting damages to the human genome. In terms of justice, since it is so expensive, it probably could only be used by wealthier families, not those who are of lower income. In terms of rights, the rights of the parents and the rights of the embryo in question are in conflict. Do parents get to decide wether or not their baby is genetically modified, even though the baby can't speak for itself yet? These conflicts will be interesting to look into to determine the best approach to the ethical embryo genetic engineering dilemma.

(below is a picture of a human embryo being genetically modified)