Challenger78
Valued Senior Member
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/527936/for-one-baby-life-begins-with-genome-revealed/
First off, boilerplate disclaimer; I'm no expert in biology or science. This also may be suited in the ethics forum.
But what does the ability to completely map the genome mean?
Can a parent now be aware of all the possibilities inherent in their child's DNA before they are born ?
Will this be allowed to influence the decision regarding whether to abort the child?
And the alarmist in me is wary of a Gattaca esque future where even minor genetic anomalies are corrected before birth. I think most people would prefer to be able to correct life-crippling disabilities before they manifest, but equally, there may be a small subset of people looking to screen for desirable traits according to their own standards.
If the ability to sequence and correct genomes is available, and opened to market forces, would that not reinforce existing inequities in terms of physical health and economic situations?
First off, boilerplate disclaimer; I'm no expert in biology or science. This also may be suited in the ethics forum.
But what does the ability to completely map the genome mean?
Can a parent now be aware of all the possibilities inherent in their child's DNA before they are born ?
Will this be allowed to influence the decision regarding whether to abort the child?
And the alarmist in me is wary of a Gattaca esque future where even minor genetic anomalies are corrected before birth. I think most people would prefer to be able to correct life-crippling disabilities before they manifest, but equally, there may be a small subset of people looking to screen for desirable traits according to their own standards.
If the ability to sequence and correct genomes is available, and opened to market forces, would that not reinforce existing inequities in terms of physical health and economic situations?
