Letter: A rose by any other name … – The Herald-Times

To the editor:

Prenatal screening has nearly eliminated Down syndrome in Iceland. A few other countries are following suit. In the United Kingdom, it has been reported that up to 90% of those who test positive for DS terminate the pregnancy.

Embryo selection and alteration resulting from in vitro fertilization may soon go far beyond optimizing chances for a successful pregnancy. Advanced gene-editing techniques, known by the acronym CRISPR, have implications not restricted to the reduction of disease.

It brings us closer to being able to choose desirable traits such as approximate height, eye color and even skin tone. Altering the DNA of embryos to our liking might be inevitable as advances in human gene manipulation grow exponentially.

As we set about renaming buildings and streets due to the abhorrent beliefs of a past university president, we might also take a hard look at what going on in the present day. It looks an awful lot like eugenics although, I believe its been renamed.

Scott Thompson

Bloomington

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Letter: A rose by any other name ... - The Herald-Times