Frightening DNA experiments to create genetically modified humans

Should you be able to order a baby like you were ordering a Happy Meal?

Imagine being able to determine every single physical characteristic of your child or grandchild before he was even born — just as if you were picking items off of some drive-through menu.

Blonde hair and blue eyes? Check. A couple extra kidneys, just in case? They can probably do that, too.

It sounds like science fiction, but it’s already happening.

Scientists from around the world have begun terrifying experiments to actually change the DNA codes and genetic makeup of human embryos.

It’s part of a movement to create “designer babies” who will supposedly have every genetic advantage researchers can dream up.

But while these scientists are making decisions that are best left to God, they’re changing what it means to be human. And they could be about to unleash new, deadly diseases that will threaten all of us.

Poisoning the gene poolWhen researchers first began learning how to alter genes, we were promised new cures for some of the world’s worst diseases.

But instead this research is being used to create genetic freak shows that feel like they’re straight out of a horror movie.

Earlier this year I told you about a government-sponsored experiment on a secret ranch in South Dakota where cows were being given fully human immune systems.

And just last month, how a wacko entrepreneur is getting ready to develop human-pig hybrids that would grow organs for transplants.

But now scientists in China may be on the verge of unleashing the most dangerous DNA disaster the world has seen. They’ve taken a step closer to developing the first ever genetically modified humans.

And experts are warning that the results could be deadly.

It all started at a university in China this spring, when a group of mad scientists used a new technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to change the genetic code of 86 human embryos.

Of course, when word got out that the Chinese were creating genetically altered babies in a lab — and most of the civilized world freaked out — the researchers tried to reassure us with phony promises.

They claimed the embryos couldn’t have gone on to become children (huh… I guess I must have missed something in biology class) and that the experiments were meant to see if they could fix a gene linked to blood disorders.

But other scientists and ethicists say there’s more to these experiments than the Chinese are admitting. In fact, this research is the first step on a slippery slope that leads to “designer babies.”

I’m talking about kids who have had their genes experimented on and changed before they’re even born — all to produce just about any trait you want junior to have.

And these genetic changes don’t just blur the line of what it means to be human. They actually could provide a blueprint for producing new, deadly — and incurable — diseases.

Fifteen of the embryos in the Chinese research died right away. But the other 71 could be where the real trouble begins.

That’s because when you start messing with genes, you can cause mistakes that may create new illnesses we don’t have to deal with today.

And that’s exactly what happened in China. Researchers admitted that in the process of altering human DNA, they made unintended “mutations” in a number of the embryos.

Who knows what those mutations could have turned into if the embryos had been allowed to develop?

The Center for Genetics and Society immediately issued a statement saying that these types of experiments need to stop immediately — at least until we understand all the medical and moral risks.

That makes sense to me. But the message seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Scientists in the U.K have just asked the government to allow them to start their own genetic experiments on human embryos. They want to take “leftover” embryos from fertility clinics — and claim none will be used to make a baby.

But let’s face it — it’s really just a matter of time.

Right now, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has a ban on using public funds for experiments on editing human embryo genes. But creating “designer babies” may be worth billions, so it may not be long before this type of research washes up on our shores.

And when it does, we could end up learning the hard that trying to take decisions about human life out of God’s hands isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Sources:

“British scientists seek permission to edit DNA in human embryos” Rob Stein, September 18, 2015, NPR, npr.org