The pros and cons of human genetic modification
Altering human DNA has both a lot of potential and a lot of ethical questions


The rise of gene-edited embryos has raised a myriad of ethical questions. It involves altering DNA to prevent disease or even to choose specific traits using a method known as CRISPR. In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui created the first gene-edited babies, making them resistant to HIV. While the process is controversial, many researchers see the potential in the technology if properly regulated. "Clinical trial results demonstrate that CRISPR is safe, and it’s effective for treating and curing human disease," remarked Jennifer Doudna, who won the Nobel Prize in 2020 for discovering CRISPR. "It’s important with a powerful technology like this to grapple with the challenges of responsible use."
Pro: It could help treat a number of diseases
Turning to genetic modification could be a solution for a number of genetic diseases including sickle cell anemia, muscular dystrophy and cancer. This can be done through modifying human embryos to correct the genetic issue. "There are more than 10,000 single genetic mutations that collectively affect probably hundreds of millions of people around the world," Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a biologist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, told NPR. "We could help a lot of people." Genetic engineering technology can also make crops disease-resistant, seedless or able to bear larger fruit.
Con: It could create greater health divide between developing and developed nations
While the technology has "great potential," it’s also "very expensive," Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute told The Guardian. "A treatment for one person could cost a million dollars." According to the World Health Organization, there are also "an estimated two billion people have no access to essential medicines, effectively shutting them off from the benefits of advances in modern science and medicine." Equity in medical access has been a long-standing problem. "We have to start talking early on about ways to ... make [gene therapy] cost-effective and sustainable," Alta Charo from the University of Wisconsin at Madison told CNN.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pro: It could help aging populations
Genetic modification could help populations live longer and healthier, particularly when it comes to combating genetic diseases like Alzheimer’s. An estimated 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older live with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. "The aging population is of grave importance as both a socioeconomic issue and a strain on the medical system," remarked He Jiankui, per CNN. The biggest issue is that editing an embryo "to address a complex disease that affects people toward the end of their life" is "highly questionable," Peter Dröge, an associate professor at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told CNN.
Con: It could lead to eugenics
Opening the door to modifying embryos can be a slippery slope into eugenics. "Genome editing has made it easier to imagine 'improving' human traits," Ruth Garde, curator of Cut + Paste, a public exhibition about genome-editing technology, told The Guardian. There are no guidelines on when to use genetic modification on humans, which brings up a debate on what circumstances warrant it. "Some people will agree that using genome editing to modify a defective gene that may lead to an infant's death if untreated is acceptable," but are against using it to "ensure that an unborn child has specific physical features such as blue eyes or blond hair," The Conversation reported.
Pro: It could help infertile parents have children
Scientists have explored a method called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), a process that allows for "custom-making human eggs and sperm in the laboratory from any cell in a person's body," per NPR. "IVF will probably never be the same," said Eli Adashi, a reproductive biology specialist from Brown University. The technology could be "life-altering for individuals to build that family that they dream of," Andrea Braverman, who studies infertility at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, told the outlet. IVG opens the possibility for infertile and gay couples to have biological children.
Con: Could lead to new genetic diseases
Much is still unknown about the consequences of genetically modifying embryos. "Experiments have also shown that in about 20% of cases, these genome-editing changes can lead to substantial rearrangements of a person’s genome, which is very, very dangerous," remarked Lovell-Badge. "It could cause cancer." Along with potentially causing disease, genome editing could also "create new genetic diseases that could then be passed down for generations," essentially expanding the range of genetic diseases rather than reducing it, NPR reported. This has led to even more questions surrounding ethics.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
The strange phenomenon of beard transplants
In The Spotlight Inquiries for the procedure have tripled since 2020, according to one clinician, as prospective patients reportedly seek a more 'masculine' look
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Poor sleep may make you more prone to believing conspiracy theories
Under the radar Catch z's for society
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Health care is full of cognitive biases. Some think AI can help.
The Explainer Humans are fallible but technology can be, too
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How Trump's executive orders are threatening scientific research
In the spotlight Agencies are purging important health information
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Sperm cells can carry past trauma in their DNA
Under the radar Your parent's past may be affecting your future
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What are the long-term effects of alcohol?
It's not just cancer
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published