The Debate Club discussion

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My question is, why would we need to use it on Fetuses in the first place

I think it prevents some sort of diseases? I'm not really sure.

OH wait I remember what CRISPR is for now, I researched this a few weeks ago lol

I'm trying to type what CRISPR is and yada yada but my computer refreshed so all of it is gone-

I'm just gonna rewrite it one sec

CRISPR is a gene-editing technology that uses a natural defense system from bacteria to precisely cut and modify DNA.

CRISPR acts as a pair of scissors, and was created to remove mutations in the DNA or create mutations.

Article in case you want more info on it, I just gave a summary on it for those with short attention spans: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/unde....

CRISPR can be used on Fetuses to either boost their immune system or make mutations. Say a parent wanted their child to become a professional sports player and wanted them to be strong, CRISPR can alter the Fetus's DNA and make them born strong without having to put in any work as they grow up.

The question is asking if this is ethical or not

There ya go

I'm pretty sure i read a Nature article on this, i'll find it

Here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4139...

I feel like its a pretty new technology, so we don't actually know whether its safe. If it’s used to treat diseases, I personally don't have a problem with it. If it’s used to make 'designer babies', then i think its wrong. You shouldn't be able to pick and choose you want your child to look like etc. The child is a new, independent life and nobody should be able to force their ideal life for that child onto the child.

I believe that CRISPR shouldn't be used on Fetuses because it's a new invention and still has its risks.

First of all we have, of course, the risk and safety concerns. We don't know for sure if the mutation will go right, and it's also not our place to decide what we should or should not change for our child. CRISPR should be a choice for adults to use on themselves, not on Fetuses that don't even get a say in it.

"The study, the most detailed analysis to date of CRISPR in human embryos, shows that applying gene editing technology to repair a blindness-causing gene early in the development of a human embryo often eliminates an entire chromosome or a large section of it.

"Our study shows that CRISPR/Cas9 is not yet ready for clinical use to correct mutations at this stage of human development,”"
Link: https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/s....

This article was published on October 28, 2020 btw, so only five years ago. But it's still a concern for today.

Secondly we have ethical related concerns. This is shorter because it's pretty straightforward.

No sane parent would be willing to let technology alter their child's genes without knowing if it's 100% safe. And even so I don't believe we should because if that "CRISPR baby" reproduces, the child can inherit these mutations, and it can leave unknown long-term consequences for the human gene pool.

The human generation will evolve because of these CRISPR babies becaue now these inhuman people are growing up and are born to be able to do a certain job, such as my example with the professional sports player I had in my explanation on CRISPR. This will make it unfair on "normal" people and can cause economic issues for them. They could lose their jobs due to these CRISPR people, and go bankrupt or homeless. This will affect the human population, and we'll dry out till theres nobody but supernatural people.

Lastly, the child. The Fetus is a child in progress, and when that child is born, they will eventually find out what their parent did. This can impact their mental health and could cause an identity crisis. It will literally demolish the saying "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up" because the child can't. Even if they go against their parents' wishes, they will only be suited for jobs that suit their mutations.

Therefore, I don't believe we should use CRISPR on Fetuses for the greater good of humanity.

Sorry for the long paragraph lmao

Hazel wrote: "I feel like its a pretty new technology, so we don't actually know whether its safe. If it’s used to treat diseases, I personally don't have a problem with it. If it’s used to make 'designer babies..."

I agree

★ Star ★ ρҽƚƚყ ƅιƚƈԋ ιʂ ɱყ ɳαɱҽ wrote: "I believe that CRISPR shouldn't be used on Fetuses because it's a new invention and still has its risks.

First of all we have, of course, the risk and safety concerns. We don't know for sure if th..."

100%! I feel like the whole idea of 'designer babies' is ridiculous. It's a human child, not something you can 'customize'. And who knows what the modifications could do to future generations? What if it turns out to be harmful? The whole thing is just too risky and unknown to be doing things like this.

Honestly, I've always disliked the idea of human clones, or genetically edited humans to make them 'better'. I think its unethical and, even though it seems extreme, will lead to humanities downfall.
However, this kind of technology could benefit humans, and help prevent or cure awful diseases, which would be great. But, so, so much more research is needed before i think it can be ethically used on humans. It needs to be 1000% safe in my opinion, because the possible complications are horrible and could cause numerous problems that impact quality of life or even death. In the future, this technology could be ethical to use, but I think there should be incredibly strict regulations on it.

I basically just reiterated what Star and I said earlier oops lol.

lmao it's okay. I agree that there are benefits to this technology, but it's still too high a risk. Additionally, scientists have already experimented with it on donor sperm and found that it unintentionally destroyed a significant number of chromosomes. Therefore, I think CRISPR should not be used at all, as it could potentially damage or harm a developing fetus.

Tessie wrote: "I think it prevents some sort of diseases? I'm not really sure."

Yah i wrote an essay on it

Im gonna brief my little bit that i wrote in my essay

So theoretically, CRISPR is super helpful and can help cure genetic diseases and correct "errors" in genes. CRISPR has the potential to cure gene mutations such as cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) and haemoglobinopathies. However, a downside to this is the possibility of off target effects on areas of the genome which are separate from the place being targeted. Additionally, if accidental altercations were made on the genome there would be very serious consequences for patients which could include malignancy.

Redman, M., King, A., Watson, C., & King, D. (2016a, August). What is CRISPR/cas9?. Archives of disease in childhood. Education and practice edition. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

Ng, D., Lo, C.-A., Jones, P., Fisher, T., Urton, J., & Brouwer, J. R. (2024, July 24). A brief history of CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing tools. Bitesize Bio. https://bitesizebio.com/47927/history...

Adam, J. (2025, January 15). CRISPR: The gene editing tool changing the world (2025 update). Labiotech.eu. https://www.labiotech.eu/in-depth/cri...

★ sᴛᴀʀ ★ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴏʀʟᴅ wrote: "I believe that CRISPR shouldn't be used on Fetuses because it's a new invention and still has its risks.

First of all we have, of course, the risk and safety concerns. We don't know for sure if th..."

Honestly agreed

˚₊‧⁀➷Chadlotte˚₊‧⁀➷ BANANA LECLERC wrote: "Im gonna brief my little bit that i wrote in my essay

So theoretically, CRISPR is super helpful and can help cure genetic diseases and correct "errors" in genes. CRISPR has the potential to cure g..."

And it's a fairly new piece of technology as Star said, so no I don't think it's ethical.

What is CRISPR?

read up

⯌Sky⯌ ~take from you like you took from me~ wrote: "What is CRISPR?"
Gene editing using Cas9 protein and a guide made of RNA.
https://nigms.nih.gov/biobeat/2024/10...

CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. This is a short sequence of DNA that is an active part of bacteria immune systems. 

In simple terms, bacteria are often attacked by viruses, called bacteriophages. To defend against these, the bacteria insert a fragment of the virus's DNA into its own genome, storing them within the CRISPR sequence. If the bacteria is infected by the same type of virus again, it can detect the virus faster, and use the it to defend itself. The enzyme Cas9 is used to ‘cut’ the viral DNA.

Scientists have worked out how to apply this method of defense to genetic modification and human medicine,  ‘reprogramming’ guide RNA molecules to edit any DNA sequence. 


CRISPR technology is not exclusively used for human medicine; it has many practical uses in agriculture and biotechnology. The main ethical issues of the use of CRISPR surround its use in humans, however.

In medicine, CRISPR can be used to treat, or even cure, genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell diseases. Scientists are also researching ways it can be used in treating cancer, other diseases, like HIV, as well as countering antibiotics resistance. 



Off-target effects may lead to unwanted genetic changes which could result in negative consequences.
“The off-target effects are still a major concern in complex eukaryotic organisms, most often in vivo for therapeutic applications”
Various techniques can reduce off-target effects, but it does not eradicate them.

“Recently, a study has shown that human subjects included, possessed pre-existing antibodies against Cas9. The obtained results showed that more than 50% of their subjects included in the study had immunity against the commonly used bacterial nucleases (65). In their study, the two extensively studied nucleases for gene therapy of Cas orthologs i.e., SaCas9 and SpCas9, were prevalent in human blood, and the human immune system has shown an immunogenic response against these nucleases.”
This could mean the efficacy of CRISPR could be decreased, as well as causing unintended, potentially negative, consequences.

CRISPR is a relatively new technology, so no long-term studies have been done, and the health issues it could cause are unknown. 

This technology can be used to carry out ‘Germline editing’ - creating designer babies. Parents can pick and choose which characteristics they want their child to have before it's even born, basically deciding what that child's life is going to be like. It should be noted that this is not the main use of CRISPR technology. Some countries ban germline editing outright, such as the USA, but certain countries are considering allowing it exclusively for hereditary diseases like cystic fibrosis.

Many different factors effect how effective CRISPR is, and these should be taken into careful consideration before the patient is treated, to mitigate risks associated with it.

“In summary, diverse factors—including cell type, treatment modalities, and patient-specific genetic profiles—can significantly affect both the efficacy and specificity of gene editing.”

CRISPR can cause deletions and rearrangements, sometimes introducing foreign DNA. This can have extreme negative consequences.

Although there are many risks and ethical concerns associated with the the use of CRISPR, it can also have major benefits. With further research, and hopefully long-term studies, CRISPR technology can become safer and more efficient.

Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...
https://crispr-gene-editing-regs-trac...
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-side-ef...

Hazel wrote: "CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. This is a short sequence of DNA that is an active part of bacteria immune systems. 

In simple terms, bacteria are often..."

This is really detailed and well done, you put so much research into this!! 👏

Also, i've seen people be concerned CRISPR could be used to make 'designer babies', mainly in the USA. This is called germline editing and is prohibited in the USA, UK and Europe (it is permitted, but only for research purposes that won't result in the creation of a child).


(https://patienteducation.asgct.org/ab...)

There will be new clinical trials using CRISPR on human children soon
https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...