He Jiankui, a Chinese scientist, claims to have achieved the impossible, reporting that he has successfully used CRISPR, or DNA sequences, to genetically modify two twin girls by the names of Lulu and Nana.
The girls were officially born a few weeks ago. The procedure was a process similar to when a man donates sperm. Basically, the biologists took out the mothers egg, fertilized it with a healthy (HIV-free) sperm. After that was done, they placed the egg back into the woman and waited till she gave birth to the twins.
“I don’t think this is okay at all, and I would never genetically modify my baby because I wouldn’t want him/her to think I didn’t love them for who they would’ve actually been,” Becky Kalowsky, mother of 2 toddlers said.
While the only modifications made to the girls were HIV prevention and eye color change, people around the world are losing it. Many people are not in agreement with the procedure due to the fact that doing this could be harmful, even fatal to the twins. Whereas, a grand number believe that this change will be good in the future for it will create much more diversity in the world and would allow parents to get their “perfect child.”
“I would only ever modify my children if I knew that they were going to get a disease,” Ernest Lo, a biology teacher at Woodside High School, explained. “In my case, I have diabetes and I would do anything to prevent my kids from getting it.”
Many scientists have edited on animals such as pigs, donkeys, and mosquitoes, but the twin girls have been the biggest thing they have modified. Scientists claim to keep studying on genetic modifications and keep everyone on edge of what’s coming up next.
“People make decisions,” anonymous source, who had 2 miscarriages, stated. “It’s really up to them, but I don’t think it’s right to put a baby in harm like that.”
