Three years ago, scientists in China made some manipulations on the genetics of unborn babies; Genetically modified babies, which made a huge impact in the scientific world, were subjected to harsh criticism. While He Jinzhou, a Chinese scientist who played with the genetics of babies, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for using gene editing technology illegally, it was stated that babies could die at an early age in research on the babies in question.
However, so much work has been done on gene editing technology since then that experts predict that gene editing technology will at some point be ‘commercialized’. This means that in the future, the number of children born with genetically modified forms will increase. Researchers think that we should start taking precautions now against a possible future that resembles scenarios where people create ‘mass production’ as they wish by playing with the genetics of people in science fiction works. Researchers in China said more needs to be done to protect children born with edited genomes; he thinks that for this, a facility should be built where they can be maintained and examined.
Researchers think errors may have occurred during the gene editing process
Qiu Renzong, professor of philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Huazhong University of Science and Technology bioethicist Lei Ruipeng conducted a study examining how to care for “CRISPR babies” whose genes have been tampered with. However, stating that children may not have been affected by any errors in the gene editing process, the authors argue that regular genome monitoring may be the best option to ensure the safety of children.
Qiu, who spoke to Nature magazine 
and stated that his wishes were not to be affected by the fact that children’s genes were manipulated, still states that there is no way to be sure of this.
While this proposal has received considerable support, some people feel that children’s privacy may be excessively violated. “Special guards can also turn into more intense surveillance,” notes medical anthropologist Eben Kriksey of the Alfred Deakin Institute, speaking on the subject.
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