Imagine if you had the power to prevent your child from obtaining any disease. If you had the power to alter your child’s genes to become immune from HIV or cancer, would you do it? Most people would instinctively say they would. After all, who does not want our children to die from a transmittable disease even after they die. The fear that their child will die too soon is the greatest fear parents undertake when the assume the role of raising a child. Some people would instinctively say they would instantly alter their children’s genes and wonder why anyone would say they would not. They must be careless and crazy! Some parents actually feel differently about altering their children’s genes. Sometimes, genetic diseases actually define who we are. Suppose someone had to grow up with something that impaired them, say, Asperger’s. Even though that person is handicapped from socializing normally, that does not mean that person cannot function normally in society. They can adapt. They can learn in ways that others cannot. And that person can credit his or her genetic disease as helping them define who they become. If that person did not have the genetic disease, they would be entirely different people. So, if our weaknesses, even they are genetic, help define our personhood, then are we bad people if we strive to eliminate them. Understand that science has always attempted to counter genetic diseases. We just developed a vaccine to counter the most complex and contagious disease known to human history. Scientists have always been trying to develop the curable human since the dawn of humankind, even in ancient history when humans did what they felt necessary to please supernatural entities. So, saying that gene editing is bad because nature needs to take its course undermines the whole reason aspiring scientists go to medical school. Also understand that scientists are also developing different ideas about science almost all the time. There are still discoveries being made in all scientific fields, and a lot of them challenge previous ideas widely accepted in the scientific community. What I’m getting to is that if or when gene editing becomes something that can be done, it can go through various stages. So, at some point we may be able to alter our children’s genes after they are born and live for some time. Then parents can see if their child can live with whatever genetic disease impairs them too much to participate with society. Or, if they are old enough, they could be able to decide themselves if they can alter their genes. Some children may actually want to keep their genetic diseases if they find themselves content with them. And that is fine. They should not feel that choosing to keep their genetic diseases is a bad choice. It is permitting parents and children’s decisions to alter their genes that should be allowed. Allowing gene editing in children may help society produce more humans that may advance humanity. Ultimately, we must allow to choose what will help define who we become.

That depends entirely on how good we are at it.