The First Genetically Modified Human Embryo: Advance or Abomination?

Wired: The First Genetically Modified Human Embryo: Advance or Abomination?

Scientists have created the first genetically modified human embryo.

What does this mean to you?

Led by Nikica Zaninovic, researchers at Cornell University added a green fluorescent protein to an embryo left over from assisted reproduction. They destroyed the embryo five days later. It is believed to be the first documented genetic modification of a human embryo.

British newspaper The Times reports that Zaninovic's feat was announced at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in 2007, but was only publicized recently when the United Kingdom's reproductive technology regulators reviewed the research. The House of Commons is about to consider legislation permitting this and other controversial reproductive technologies, such as the creation of chimeras -- human-animal hybrid embryos.

The research raises a number of thorny ethical questions. ...

Comments

[VanSkaamper]

Advance or abomination? Why not both? I hate false dichotomies.

;^)

[Michael W. Kruse]

How about an ambivance? :)

[VanSkaamper]

"Advance or abomination" conflates the technological and moral aspects of the achievement. A technological advancement can be achieved through immoral means...and human history seems to me to be the story of human invention, innovation and technological advancement applied to human kind's desire to do both good and evil. As the technology gets more sophisticated and more powerful, it's difficult for me to remain ambiviant about the matter.