The genes in people’s bodies help to identify who they are. They provide individuals with physical characteristics, like eye color, hair type, and skin color. But can also affect a person’s immunity to diseases and the cells in their body. Hence, why it is a major advantage that scientists have found a way to successfully edit genes in human embryos. But, scientists should also consider the disadvantages editing genes in human embryos could bring.

An advantage that scientists can successfully edit genes brings is that it may help to strengthen people’s immune systems. Some people inherit weak immune systems from their parents, this can make them susceptible to many different diseases, or a disease that might not seem as severe to an average person, but can be to a person with a weak immune system. However, if scientists were able to edit genes in a human embryo, they will have the ability to edit the genes that give people weak immune systems; hence, giving them stronger immune systems. This can help solve many issues that many people with weak immune systems around the world face. And create a stronger and healthier global population. 

Although it may seem advantageous that scientists can edit genes to strengthen people’s immune systems, editing genes in human embryos in humans may seem unethical. Many people find messing with the DNA of humans unethical, due to the fact that most of the time, the person being tested on has no say on whether they want a test to be conducted on them. For instance, during the Holocaust, there were many German doctors that were trying to find a way to create an ideal German; which during that time period consisted of a German with blond hair and blue eyes. The German doctors conducted many different types of tests on people trying to alter their genes and make them an ideal German. Today, many people in society see what the German doctors did as unethical, due to the fact that they were changing a person’s genetic matter.

While scientists editing genes in human embryos may seem unethical, it can also help parents to design how their child may look like. Many parents may wish for their child to inherit a certain type of trait from them, but most of the time that does not happen. But, scientists having the ability to edit the genes in human embryos, gives parents the ability to have a child that looks like the child of their dreams. Although this may seem positive, parents being allowed to edit their children’s genes can decrease the individuality that all humans hold. For instance, the random picking of genes in a person is what helps to make them unique from their parents, siblings, and peers. And if that is taken away because parents are able to have scientists edit their child’s genes, this could take away society’s diversity. Overall, scientists having the ability to edit genes in a human embryo is a major disadvantage because it can reduce diversity in society.

In addition to reducing diversity, scientists editing genes in a human embryo can also lead to unforeseen future consequences, and negatively affect the human embryo. Editing genes in a human embryo can still result in consequences, due to the fact that everyone’s body is different and may react in a different way to the editing of the genes. For instance, after the editing, the embryo may seem fine, but as time goes on the person may experience pain in their body because the gene-editing affected their body in a negative way. Altogether, editing genes in a human embryo may cause dangerous consequences for the person.

Given these points, it has been shown that scientists editing genes in human embryos can have its advantages, but it can also have its own disadvantages. Yet, after analyzing all the perspectives, it has been shown that scientists editing genes in a human embryo is more of a disadvantage than an advantage, because it may seem unethical, it can reduce diversity in society, and can cause consequences to a person’s health in the future.