Evaluation of General Sources

My Controversy is Ethics in Biomedical Engineering: CRISPR/CAS9 and Genetic Engineering

Source 1:

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/science/a-scientific-ethical-divide-between-china-and-west.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Author: Didi Kirsten Tatlow

Last Update: July 6, 2015

Purpose: Inform about the East's need for a more enforced ethics policy.

Graphics: Yes, pictures of scientists.

Position: For more ethical restrictions.

Links: Yes

In science and engineering there has to be a line that can't be crossed when doing research. Currently this ethical line is up for debate in the world. The East is willing to push the line and even cross it for the purpose of science. The West however has a much stricter ethical line. Specifically in China their culture gives them different beliefs about when a person becomes a human. Recently in China the line may have been crossed when a group of Chinese scientists used a method called CRISPR-CAS9 to try and alter defective genes in human embryos. 

One reason for the difference in the ethical boundaries is in the buddhist belief a person doesn't become a human until they are born. However in the Western Christian belief a person is a living being upon conception. This cultural difference a long with ethics classes only being taught in universities in the last 12 years have contributed to there being such a difference in the do not cross not line. People on both sides believe that there needs to be an international third party to enforce an unanimous ethical line to prevent the genetic engineering of gametes for eugenics.

There also is a push within China for many scientists to not follow the state mandated ethics. The main reason is that the scientists are poorly paid. They will do anything for money and they can receive a $32,000 bonus for getting their research published in an international scientific journal. This can be the extra motivation to break a few rules and make a big pay day. 

https://www.broadinstitute.org/files/imagecache/large/news/images/2015/DNA_PRINT_Res_RGB.jpg

Source 2:

URL: http://causescience.com/2015/04/24/more-controversy-in-the-crisprcas9-debate-editing-dna-in-human-embryos-good-or-bad-idea/

Author: psgurel

Last Update: April 24, 2015

Purpose: Inform people about CRISPR-CAS9 and about what Chinese scientists have recently done. 

Graphics: No

Position: Neutral. Poses questions and tries to get audience to interact and leave comments.

Links: Yes

Source 2 is more of an informational source. It provides a summary from NPR about a recently done Chinese experiment. The NPR summary also includes quotes from other researchers and includes their opinions. Many are against the experimentation on human germ cells because of the possible diseases that could be created from mutations. These diseases could be passed down through genes and last for multiple generations. Some of the people quoted believe that there should be a moratorium put in place until the process becomes much more efficient. In the Chinese study 86 embryos were used and only 26 came out successful. This is a very low efficiency to be using on human germ cells.