The Commited MAY 2015 | Page 15

TED ADANA COLLEGE / 10-C Should We Edit Our Children’s Genomes? Hazal DİNÇER What is gene-editing? Can we edit our children’s genomes? Should we do that? We can keep asking plenty of questions since this is a very complicated issue. Scientists have discovered that we can edit children’s genes when they are embryos. Gene-editing is like changing embryos features that will be beneficial in preventing some diseases like cancer, dementia, cardiovascular or other similar ones. It has a risk for sure, but yet again, it is low enough, so people could be encouraged to do that. Dr Kevin Smith says: ‘Genetic modification is the only conceivable way to deal with multiple disease- associated genes within an embryo’. Genetic modification gives a chance to doctors to protect future lives from common illnesses mentioned before. In my opinion, our children should be given this chance since everyone deserves a healthy life. Furthermore, it should be passed to future generations.