Last week was fun reading “Matt Ridley: Genome” book. The book talks about our building block: Gnome. There are too many things to unpack from the book, one being we all in the animal kingdom has the same source.
The other thing author talks about is how newer technology like gene editing will cure many incurable diseases.
The author also speaks highly of Gene Editing and a better future considering the green revolution, GMOs, and how world hunger is getting cured.
However, the three ethical sides of the conversation made me think deeply about technology.
- Designer babies: Will this not create more disparity? Everything comes with an effect; what will be the repercussions here? Will these kids be more vulnerable to diseases?
- Gene screening: Would you like to live in a world where you will not get insurance because of future illness predictions? Will this not also result in being alienated from society? Will this also lead rise in abortion on account of an unhealthy womb?
- Eugenics: Will it bring back Eugenics from history books again? Do the police predict the chances of someone committing a crime because of their gene? Or the killing of a specific family because of an unaltered gene causes a burden on the healthcare system.
I am hopeful that government will come up with enough restrictions and checks for the technology usage in a good way.