Human Gene Editing: Is There a Parental Obligation to Create “Better” Babies?
Human Gene Editing: Is There a Parental Obligation to Create “Better” Babies?
Moderator: Robin Marantz Henig
Organizer: Mildred Solomon
Some people argue that parents have a moral obligation to create “the best” babies possible. Others counter that we might actually have a moral obligation not to pursue “the best,” warning that important aspects of the parental-child bond might suffer if parents take significant control over the genomes of their offspring. This session will explore the views of advocates and skeptics, who will argue for and against the use of gene editing in human embryos to create enhancements — genetic predispositions to be smarter, more athletic, possibly even kinder — should this become possible.
This session is part of the Hastings Center Preconference Symposium on New Genetic Technologies: Ethical Debates and Global Science Policy.
