World's first GM babies born

Fifteen of the children were born in the past three years as a result of one experimental programme at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey.
The babies were born to women who had problems conceiving. Extra genes from a female donor were inserted into their eggs before they were fertilised in an attempt to enable them to conceive.
Genetic fingerprint tests on two one-year- old children confirm that they have inherited DNA from three adults --two women and one man.
The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their 'germline' means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring.

Story

I am speechless. I didn't think that this was legal in the US. I realize the technology probably exists but to actually experiment with humans is frightening to me. The article talks also about cloning children. I guess that is next. It is reported that this geneticist has already been contacted by 3 different parties to clone children and he has refused. I don't believe that, this guy is a Dr. Frankenstein and I bet he would just love to clone a human.

Oh my.

I had no idea this was legal either.

This sounds like a horrible idea to me. As we have seen with GMO foods, the genes that were thought to be stable, were not actually stable at all. How can they be so certain that this is safe? I don't think that life is something that should be tinkered with.

These are people, not science projects.

Thanks, for bringing this to my attention. S&F

Well if you look at if from a scientific perspective it is pretty fascinating. Does that make it right? Well I guess that is a matter or personal morals and what one thinks is right or wrong.

To me it's not fair to the baby. The baby didn't ask to be an experiment. If people are willing subjects and know they are being experimented on then that is on them but don't bring a child into the world just to experiment.

I am against cloning. Cloning someone will not give you the same person you are trying to replace or have.

I am an identical twin and joke about having a clone all the time. We may have the same genetics but we are totally opposite in personality. You can't clone a person's individuality just the image. I dont find cloning to be beneficial in any way.

reply to post by GrantedBail

I realize the technology probably exists but to actually experiment with humans is frightening to me. The article talks also about cloning children. I guess that is next.

Human experimentation? Human cloning?



I realize I am part of a minority in ATS being pro-transhumanism so no need to point it out

I fully support 'playing God'.

Of course there is risk involved. Of course there are ethical concerns. The benefit this kind of tinkering could bring is nearly boundless.

Seems to me that is how we became who we are considering the Sumerians claim to genetic manipulation. In 10 thousand years, who will know? I think we can expect more of this. Personally, I don't like it.

reply to post by GrantedBail


That and the "Designer babies" It's freaky. I'm sorry, but it's just unethical in my opinion so I'm just as weirded out about this as the OP.

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Right there with you, man. It's disturbing how much ATS hates the natural progression of technology in relation to biology.

reply to post by GrantedBail


I wonder if this will mean the babies have 78 chromosomes.

reply to post by ShadeWolf



It's not an ATS thing, it's a global thing.

Messing with the genome is bound to have unintended consequences.

I'm gonna point out the obvious here. They are telling us now, but they have been cloneing and making designer babies for a long time. Kinda like we don't really know what technology the armed forces has, until the technology is obsolete. I really do not think it is right to try and play god like that. There is also a moral lesson, like in Frankenstein, what you make just might turn on you.

This is awesome, I disagree with you OP, this is not frightening at all.

All of this talk of "playing god" is exactly what you people have been conditioned to think. If you think using science and technology to prolong your life is wrong then stop taking medicine of going to the hospital!

Its sooo terrible that this has occurred yet perfectly fine for you to splatter your ex-drug addicted, inherently flawed DNA with any birth-defect prone DNA holding partner of your choosing..

I do not see the future of humans in smartphones.

This is welcome news to me. I embrace medicinal technology fully, in all of its probable wretchedly disfiguring glory, arms wide open to the GM kids.

reply to post by GrantedBail


And monsters are born.

Hollywood is going to have an orgasm over this, the Govt. will state it as the next positive step in evolution and the people who are against it as unnatural? They'll be painted as unpatriotic, potential threats against the State and against the forward movement of mankind.

My opinion of course.

I truly want OUT.

Peace

Originally posted by Lucid Lunacy
reply to post by GrantedBail

 

I realize the technology probably exists but to actually experiment with humans is frightening to me. The article talks also about cloning children. I guess that is next.

Human experimentation? Human cloning?

I realize I am part of a minority in ATS being pro-transhumanism so no need to point it out

I fully support 'playing God'.

Of course there is risk involved. Of course there are ethical concerns. The benefit this kind of tinkering could bring is nearly boundless.

When you come to understand that your statement "I fully support playing God" is the entire battle of man, as the created, against He who IS CREATOR AND GOD, perhaps you'll come to understand what exactly the Bible chronicles from the first to last page. Perhaps then you'll come to recognise what Adam's iniquity was and why Judea, prophetic of the world today, comes to reject it's Creator and chooses to release a murderer, insurrectionist and robber instead.

These children are innocent abnormalities which will pass corrupted DNA to their offspring - a kind which is not in creation. These children are victims of men who strive to kill and destroy everything of God's Creation so that their wicked internal desires to "play God" are fulfilled. That is demented and the result of reprobate minds who will only go out to do the things which should not be done. And as a result of their reprobate minds, are doing nothing but piling up charges upon their head by which they will be soundly judged and condemned.

Look at it this way.

Now the one percent may be able to grow into two...three...

The economical divide can have a chance to lighten up a bit..

Oh,.. wait..

Nevermind.

Why are we doing this? Don't we have a massive overpopulation problem? I understand this is being used for some people having problems conceiving but why not adopt instead?

This is getting out of hand.

LIke some of the others here, this is good news. The shackles that biological technology in relation to humans has had to endure thanks to the ridiculous over-welcome influence of religion in politics, is far too tight. People have died because of moral objections to this field progressing forward in a natural way.

Supporters of progression in this field are fully aware of ethical issues and perhaps some disturbing discoveries along the way. The long term benefits far outweigh any negatives; this work will eventually contribute towards a more healthy, longer living modern human perhaps less driven by our animal past and in the interim what we now consider life-changing injuries could be a thing of the past.

This is what we have thrown away over the years due to our Luddite friends who appear to be so influential.

Anybody else have a sudden urge to wash your hands??

However much people disagree with something, its not like it was never going too happen anyway?

Saying that, I dont like the idea of playing God. Have you not seen how we destroy and ruin basically everything in our paths already

reply to post by ShadeWolf

Right there with you, man. It's disturbing how much ATS hates the natural progression of technology in relation to biology.

It is nature that is genius - we just like to think we are - and the times we think we're superior to nature more often than not come back to bite us on the bum simply because nature itself is perfectly balanced.

If a woman cannot conceive naturally nature will have a reason for it - and that reason will be for the greater good.

In this world there are many many children who need a parent for one reason or another....while at the same time there are many couples who cannot conceive naturally. Experiments like this mess with that balance and the end result will only be more children raised by institutions instead of loving adoptive families.

Some would say that we are naturally headed to the same direction as our creators. How do you think we were created?

Another civilization obtained knowledge of bio-engineering through practice, and made a sub-species to carry out menial tasks for them.