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My neighbor brought up gene editing for sports, and now I can't stop thinking about it. | Genetic Engineering Ethics - Free To Speak

dylang23•6mo ago

My neighbor brought up gene editing for sports, and now I can't stop thinking about it.

I was having a beer with my neighbor last week, and he talked about parents editing genes so kids are better at sports (like, to run faster or be stronger). This made me think about where to stop. For instance, fixing a sickness seems right, but adding skills feels wrong. I saw a news piece where doctors changed genes to stop a heart problem, which is good. But making someone taller just for sports? That seems off, you know? I'm confused on this, and I want to know what you think. Have you dealt with similar thoughts?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_wendy6mo ago

Ask where the line gets drawn beyond sports. Soon you're editing for looks, smarts, everything that makes us human. That path turns kids into products, not people.

joelmoore6mo ago

My parents would've edited out my terrible sports genes, lol.

the_finley6mo ago

Look at Olympic athletes right now, their parents basically bred them for sports through crazy training from age three. Editing a gene for coordination isn't that different, it's just a tool. The whole 'designing a person' fear feels overblown. Parents already try to shape their kids with tutors, coaches, and pushing them into certain hobbies. This is just a more direct way of doing something we already do. It's not turning kids into products, it's giving them a leg up in a super competitive world. I really don't see it as the huge ethical crisis everyone's making it out to be.

dylan_owens6mo ago

Man, that same question keeps me up sometimes too. What helped me was looking at why we're changing genes in the first place. Fixing that heart problem? That's a need, it saves a life. Making a kid taller for basketball? That's just a want. @joelmoore, my parents would've edited out my clumsiness for sure, but then I never would've learned to deal with being bad at stuff. Life needs some limits, you know? Once you start picking skills, you're basically designing a person instead of raising one.