The Ethics of Making Babies: Genetic Selection and Gene Editing

It may sound like science fiction, but reproduction has entered a complex new reality. It is now possible to select IVF embryos based on genetic predictions for diseases and other traits. And the same gene-editing technology that allows scientists to treat patients with sickle cell disease could one day make it possible to change the genes of future children and generations.

The question is no longer what can we do...it's what should we do?

Join us for a fascinating discussion with experts in the field as they discuss the latest in gene-editing capabilities.

We'll learn about the difference between somatic vs. germline editing, meaning treating a living patient where changes don't pass onto future generations, or editing an embryo so changes do pass on to all future generations. And in each category, there is still more complexity about what is considered "ethical."

What diseases should we treat for living patients?

What are the long-term potential impacts on global health?

How should we make decisions about selecting against or "editing out" diseases at the embryo stage?

How will this affect the diversity of communities in this world? (e.g., disabilities, LGBTQ)

This technology is here and holds a lot of potential. Let's find out where to draw that line together.

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Alta Charo (BA biology Harvard 1979, JD law Columbia 1982) is the Warren P Knowles Professor Emerita of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin law and medical schools, and now works as a consultant on biotechnology regulatory policy and ethics for government, industry, and advocacy groups. During her career, she also worked as a policy analyst for Congress, USAID, and the FDA. Charo co-chaired the National Academy of Sciences’ seminal 2017 report on human genome editing, and subsequently helped organize two international summits and served on the WHO expert panel on the same subject.

Henry T. (Hank) Greely (AB Stanford 1974, JD Yale 1977) is the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law; Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics; and Director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University. He clerked for Judge John Minor Wisdom and Justice Potter Stewart, then served in the Departments of Defense and Energy in the Carter Administration before becoming a litigator at a Los Angeles law firm. He joined the Stanford Law School faculty in 1985, writing since 1992 on ethical, legal, and social issues in the biosciences, including his 2021 book, CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans.

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