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Julian Savulescu, Sir Louis Matheson Distinguishing Visiting Professor at Monash University, Uehiro Professor of Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, and William Isdale, Research Assistant, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, discuss the ethics of genetic modification in humans.

Could genetic engineering one day allow parents to have designer babies? Photo credit: Tatiana Vdb/flickr, CC BY 4.0

 

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

 

William Isdale, University of Melbourne

What if humans are genetically unfit to overcome challenges like climate change and the growing inequality that looks set to define our future?

Julian Savulescu, visiting professor at Monash University and Uehiro professor of Practical Ethics at Oxford University, argues that modifying the biological traits of humans should be part of the solution to secure a safe and desirable future.

The University of Melbourne’s William Isdale spoke to Julian Savulescu about what aspects of humanity could be altered by genetic modifications and why it might one day actually be considered unethical to withhold genetic enhancements that could have an overwhelmingly positive effect on a child’s life.

 

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