Thesis: Designer babies are a positive advancement in the field of genomics but it does bring questions such as the never-ending debate of religion vs. science, the details of the actual procedure of CRISPR, and the effects on the people who utilize it. Audience Analysis: In the previous speeches, many of my peers said they believe in genetic editing in cases of medical conditions, but not for physical traits, which is what I believe as well.
I. Introduction: A. Hook- CRISPR sounds more like a kitchen appliance than a controversial scientific technology. However, don t judge a book by its cover. CRISPR is just one of the ways scientists can genetically modify embryos. B. Background- 1. CRISPR is just one of the ways scientists can genetically modify embryos. 2. Genetic editing is the process by which the dna of embryos is changed to fit a certain idea. 3. Editing traits like intelligence and speed is impossible, only physical traits can be changed through genetic engineering. 4. Religious institutions often protest against it because of God s plan 5. Others say it improves mankind in itself. (Place) 6. Genetically engineering embryos has caused a stir in the public community and in turn pitted groups against each other, but I believe that the solution is a compromise between the two. C. Thesis- Designer babies are a positive advancement in the field of
A. genomics but it does bring up questions such as the never-ending debate of religion vs. science, the details of the actual procedure of CRISPR, and the effects on the people who utilize it.
I. Religion: Religion is often pitted against science in debate, but what if there was a middle ground? A. Michael Place, the president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, says, Genetic engineering promotes human dignity. This statement may seem contradictory to the common misconception of the church s views, as it seems this very Catholic man is actually promoting genetic engineering. (Place) B. What Reverend Place is getting at is the idea that God wants what is best for us. If genetically editing the embryos will improve, prolong, or even save the baby s life, he stands for it. (Place) C. It is our differences that make us special, and Place recognizes this, as he only supports the technology in the cases of disease or genetic disorders. (Place) D. Through Rev. Place, we see a reasonable but still ethical view on the topic that seems to compromise the two sides.
I. The CRISPR Procedure A. CRISPR started out curiosity and ended up revolutionary. 1. In Jerry Coyne s essay about genomics, he states that CRISPR was originally created by a collection of scientists after observing a strange section of DNA in bacteria. (Coyne) 2. CRISPR can be used to end diseases as well as change physical characteristics, but the human genes are too complex to change the personality and mental/physical abilities. (Coyne) 3. Can be used to get rid of Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or color blindness, and even AIDs or breast cancer; pros outweigh the cons (Coyne)
A. While I personally do not believe people should be allowed to choose their baby s features, I definitely believe that they should be able to get rid of any diseases or disorders that would affect the child s quality of life. B. Everyone deserves an equal chance at life. What does it say about equality when we are knowingly putting babies out into the world with diseases we could have taken care of prior to the child even being born?
I. Reasoning: In debate over this topic, there seems to only be two stances one can take: agree or disagree. A. However, in Cecile Janssens viewpoint, she brings up a 3rd stance. Designer babies are a myth, as human traits like intelligence are a combination of genes and environment, not a genetic code you can edit. B. Taking this into consideration, we need to think about how the people are affected by it: Joselin Linder is an author and public speaker who most recently wrote a book called The Family Gene. This novel is a journey through her family s experience with an unknown, mystery disease. (NBC) 1. In an article about Linder s experience on NBC News, it is revealed that Linder s family is a founder family, the very first bloodline with this disease. To give some context, from the article: A young genetic disease is one that s 60 or 70 generations old. The Linder mutation was at most five generations old. 2. While Linder herself didn t have children, her sister Hilary used a form of in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, a form of genetic editing, paying 20,000
1. dollars out of pocket with the hopes of finding an egg unaffected by the disease. 2. Linder explains PGD in her own words in an interview with MM Finck from Women Writers, Women s Books. She says, It s such a simple thing a five-day-old fertilized egg is tested for the gene. If it doesn t have it, it is implanted and hopefully grows into a baby. If it does, it is discarded. (Finck) B. If people had identified this disease before Joselin and Hilary were born, would we have used CRISPR to prevent it from traveling down the bloodline any further? If we had this technology centuries before, we could have potentially gotten rid of countless disorders and genetic diseases.
I. Conclusion A. While I stand by the fact that our differences are what make us special and give us independence as human beings, I believe that genetic editing should definitely be allowed, without argument, in the cases of disease and disorder. 1. If we have discovered a way to greatly impact someone s quality of life before they are even born, we need to utilize it. Going back to Michael Place s point, God will not object to anything that is doing good for his people. (Place) 2. I would definitely say that the many diseases listed in Jerry Coyne s essay qualify for that idea. These diseases affect people s lives to such a large degree, if we have this way of ending it, we need to take action. (Coyne) 3. Cecile Janssens and Joselin Linder are both examples of different perspectives on the matter. Stories like Joselin s are unheard of, and Janssens viewpoint is also rarely touched on, as it is more a lack of opinion. B. As 9th graders, it may seem like we don t have any say in the world of genetic editing, but in fact, if we advocate for the benefits and
A. importance of the procedure, we can make a difference.
C. To conclude, genetic editing is a revolutionary idea in the fields of genomics that will save countless lives and improve our world as we know it.