It’s
one of those headlines that make you go; Really? It read; Rogue Chinese
scientist made ‘foolish’ choice in gene-edited babies. Really? Who
would have thought attempting to play God might be a foolish choice?
The scientist, He Jiankui, caused an uproar in the international community last
year when he admitted that he had altered the genes of twin girls, born last
November, using a gene editing tool while they were still in the embryonic
stage.
The associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in
Shenzhen, China had the best intentions. He claimed that by editing the
CCR5 gene, he could give the girls a lifelong immunity to HIV.
However, recent studies have shown that because of the alteration, the girls
now have a significantly higher risk of premature death. Jiankui has
acknowledged that he may have made a mistake. Really? Was the
mistake that the experiment was a failure or did he realize that the little
girls weren’t experiments, they were people?
When Satan tempted Adam and Eve, what he offered was that they could be like
God. And that temptation is still being offered to people today.
And it’s amazing that even people who don’t believe in God want to play God.
Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you
will have to attempt the impossible.