Each week our two teenagers debate a hot topic. This week ...
Dennis Wu, 17, St Joseph's College
Should parents be allowed to genetically modify their babies?
This is an intriguing question that has sparked furious debate.
Technology has been evolving at a rapid pace, but human evolution has gradually come to a halt. Over millions of years, we have turned from apes into what we are today thanks to natural selection which helped us eradicate the bad genes and preserve the good ones.
We are pretty much at the limit of evolution because advanced medical science has helped prolong our lifespan and the 'survival of the fittest' concept was thus taken out of the equation. To improve mankind, we need to make full use of our genetic engineering capabilities.
With genetic engineering, we could eliminate hereditary diseases like cancer, diabetes and Down's syndrome. These genetic disorders have haunted us for years and now we finally have the opportunity to get rid of them. Designer babies could help us save millions of dollars in medical research. The technology could also save our future generations from the agony of chemotherapy and invasive medical treatments.