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Some call it eugenics, an unsettling step toward a world of “designer babies” reserved for the privileged. Others see something very different: a transformative scientific advance with the potential to prevent devastating genetic diseases before a child is even born. This ethical conundrum is at the crux of this debate, originally broadcast in February 2022, now on Substack and YouTube.
Arguing Yes: Dr. George Church, Geneticist & Founder, Personal Genome Project; Professor, Genetics, Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School
Amy Webb, Chief Executive Officer, Future Today Strategy Group; Professor, NYU Stern School of Business
Arguing No: Marcy Darnovsky, Executive Director, Emerita, Center for Genetics and Society
Françoise Baylis, Distinguished Research Professor, Emerita, Dalhousie University; President, Royal Society of Canada
Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates.
Since we first staged this debate, the controversy has only intensified. Two high profile startups, Manhattan Genomics and Bootstrap Bio, both of which stated the desire to develop therapies to help affected unborn children—shut down after mere months. The complicated behind-the-scenes story is detailed in this week’s Wired. However, another embryo editing company, Preventive, has claimed to have $30 million...