It’s time society discussed the ethical issues raised by the gene revolution | Linda Geddes
by Linda Geddes from on (#1GWXX)
The profound, transformative implications of new gene editing techniques require open, public debate
The 90s sci-fi film Gattaca envisaged a world where children conceived through genetic manipulation took all the professional jobs, while those conceived naturally did the menial ones. The 2005 movie, The Island, imagined one in which those who could afford it sponsored a clone that could be harvested for spare body parts if and when the need arose.
People have been prophesying nightmarish scenarios about genetic technologies ever since the publication of Aldous Huxley's dystopic Brave New World. It's now 20 years since Dolly the Sheep was cloned and 13 years since the first human genome was sequenced. The fact that none of these scenarios has yet come to pass could prompt the conclusion that they were overhyped.
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