Designer babies could be approved in future, says medical ethics panel

That doesn't make much sense tbh... unless you just want to try and fit this Gattaca idea into real life. We're talking about editing some genes, there isn't some specific "mod" but rather lots of small changes that could be made.

If for some reason we lived in some dubious society where unethical criteria were used for admissions etc.. then that's a separate issue anyway (and we'd probably have rather more to worry about with some fascist rulers looking out for their master race etc..). Whether or not genes can be edited doesn't stop someone from deciding that say only white and asian people can go to medical school.



They don't get a choice in the first place so no change there, as for consent and "unborn child" thats a dubious route to go down... they don't consent to being aborted either and would probably like to live if they were given the choice.


By mod I just meant the commercial branding for the change's say.


As it advances we reach a point where say a modification relating to myostatin is possible any on with this modification is muscle withour effort or excercise are they banned from sports?

If they aren't they would rapidly dominate all sports and no unmodified humans would be able to compete not because of discrimination but simply because they couldnt keep up.

If genes relating to intelligence are found a simmilar thing happens regarding education its not that there is discrimination its simply all the places are filled by the modified population who are more intelligent.
 
By mod I just meant the commercial branding for the change's say.


As it advances we reach a point where say a modification relating to myostatin is possible any on with this modification is muscle withour effort or excercise are they banned from sports?

If they aren't they would rapidly dominate all sports and no unmodified humans would be able to compete not because of discrimination but simply because they couldnt keep up.

If genes relating to intelligence are found a simmilar thing happens regarding education its not that there is discrimination its simply all the places are filled by the modified population who are more intelligent.

Well that already happens without modding. People with west African ancestry dominate sprinting at the olympics for example. You're not going to find some short Chinese guy winning the 100m.
 
Well that already happens without modding. People with west African ancestry dominate sprinting at the olympics for example. You're not going to find some short Chinese guy winning the 100m.


Indeed but we dont alow people to take testosterone say.


So are the modified offspring second class or an elite

Are they banned or do they replace the unmodified.
 
Indeed but we dont alow people to take testosterone say.

So are the modified offspring second class or an elite

Are they banned or do they replace the unmodified.

we're talking about editing existing genes, as in forcing the selection of an advantageous gene they had a % chance of inheriting anyway or likewise ensuring that a gene that might cause them illness and that they had a % chance of inheriting isn't inherited - you're talking as though they're replicants or something

likewise you could just have IVF, create multiple fertilised eggs and then screen them - would you apply the same rules there, if someone was born via IVF, no gene editing but the parents decided to chose them based on certain genes they happened to have and dispose of the other fertilised eggs, end result can achieve the same thing as forcing the selection of some genes that might otherwise increase the chance of illness and are known to run in that family, or when it is know that this embryo has a better chance of being taller etc..
 
It's not really about colour of people though is it, it's always been about wealth, they tried it naively centuries ago in royalty to keep blood royal, as if it meant anything other than making our offspring unlikely to be born or malfigured.

Then again in the run up to WW2, the Eugenicists were out in force with a different take, a less naive and more robust one i might add, but it didn't last long as the Nazi's saw to it that it was a disgraceful practice.

Now again here we are, unlikely to be stopped by politics or stupidity, the wealthy will finally get their categorical biological advancement they've been longing for, for such a long period of history. If the rich can successfully advantage themselves in this manner, you can be sure that the real class war will begin.

A true race war.
 
Now again here we are, unlikely to be stopped by politics or stupidity, the wealthy will finally get their categorical biological advancement they've been longing for, for such a long period of history. If the rich can successfully advantage themselves in this manner, you can be sure that the real class war will begin.

Why can you be sure of that? This could easily become widely available, the assumption that it would only be available to the rich elites is flawed, especially when this has public health implications and could help reduce the occurrences of various conditions related to certain genes ... in reality this rich elite only scenario is more likely to happen if you try to ban it. Then only the elites can afford to fly to the private clinic in [some country that allows it] and have it done.
 
Why can you be sure of that? This could easily become widely available, the assumption that it would only be available to the rich elites is flawed, especially when this has public health implications and could help reduce the occurrences of various conditions related to certain genes ... in reality this rich elite only scenario is more likely to happen if you try to ban it. Then only the elites can afford to fly to the private clinic in [some country that allows it] and have it done.

Same with making things expensive, so you only get the clientele you're looking for.

Editing out diseases is probably as far as it will go for the plebians, enhancements? That'll be $100000 a year please.
 
Yep.

If it becomes a thing they need to legislate and make it open to all.

Edit: Also who knows if it already happens? billionaires probably have access to private labs and equipment to do this kind of stuff already.

Well that's the point even if it was available to the pleb, it won't be cheap, it will be locked away behind a huge paywall and any business that jumps in first will be the biggest business in history.
 
Well that's the point even if it was available to the pleb, it won't be cheap, it will be locked away behind a huge paywall and any business that jumps in first will be the biggest business in history.

It isn't like there is a monopoly on this, the wider the application the cheaper it can be. More expensive use cases are rare diseases etc..
 
A very good idea, why wouldn't we want to prevent disease in future generations for starters.

Then we can start looking at making our kids smarter, healthier etc etc.
 
It isn't like there is a monopoly on this, the wider the application the cheaper it can be. More expensive use cases are rare diseases etc..

It's not just about diseases though, for sure enhancements will be patented to the tune of $10's of billions and protected fiercely.

This is an area that the Chinese will excel at grossly, it'll be the prime reason they win the mantle from the US.
 
what could possibly go wrong

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It's not just about diseases though, for sure enhancements will be patented to the tune of $10's of billions and protected fiercely.

This is an area that the Chinese will excel at grossly, it'll be the prime reason they win the mantle from the US.

what do you mean by patented to the tune of $10s of billions - you're not making much sense there? A patent doesn't cost 10s of billions. If you mean some ability to do something has a potential market worth billions then sure, that's perhaps because it would be rather popular.

if something has mass market appeal then you can substantially reduce costs and these are people's genes we're talking about, you might be able to patent a drug etc.. or things associated with editing genes etc.. but you don't patent removing a gene or genes related to a specific illness
 
what do you mean by patented to the tune of $10s of billions - you're not making much sense there? A patent doesn't cost 10s of billions. If you mean some ability to do something has a potential market worth billions then sure, that's perhaps because it would be rather popular.

if something has mass market appeal then you can substantially reduce costs and these are people's genes we're talking about, you might be able to patent a drug etc.. or things associated with editing genes etc.. but you don't patent removing a gene or genes related to a specific illness

I'm very specifically taking about genes that define muscle growth, neuron density, aging, eyesight, hearing, touch, smell, bone density, immune system and so forth.

They will not be cheap and it's all about who gets first pickings in this type of game.

The richest among us haven't been able to define themselves with anything other than their wealth, and that's been enough to cause conflict before, they learned to stay away from it.

Once they have the ability to be physically above the Plebs, they'll start thinking and believing so (because it'll be true) and the messy future it'll bring will begin in earnest.
 
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