Japanese scientists have just rewritten what we thought was possible in genetics. Using CRISPR, they managed to eliminate the extra copy of chromosome 21—the cause of Down syndrome—in human laboratory cells. The cells regained biological functions closer to typical ones almost immediately.
But here is what no one can ignore: organizations of people with Down syndrome have spent years warning that treating them as an “error to be corrected” is a way of saying that their lives are worth less. On the other side, families living the daily reality of the condition ask why reject an advance that could reduce suffering.
The researchers themselves make it clear that this is still far from being applied in humans. But the scientific threshold has already been crossed. Do you think science should move toward eliminating Down syndrome, or is there something that should not be touched?