Lucy Gill
The Birth of Saviour Siblings It all started in August of 2000 when Adam Nash was born to save his sister’s life, and the world was opened to a whole new plane of science, as well as ethical dilemmas.
Who is Adam Adam is the world's what is now known as saviour sibling. With the help of dr. William Schoolcraft, Adam was chosen through P.G.D. (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) as an embryo, and conceived through in-vitro fertilization to be the perfect cord blood donor for his older sister, who suffered from Fanconi Anaemia and had been informed that her disease would result in her untimely death. The only saviour sibling at the time, Adam was dubbed “Little Frankenstein” by the scientific community, and his parents were targeted by the media worldwide for their controversial decision to have one child for the soul purpose of saving another.
Controversy around creation As more saviour siblings have been born in the past two decades people including but not limited to activists, authors, and scientists have raised concerns for the mental and physical well being of the younger siblings, and many have asked what effect does having your purpose in life handed to you at a young age have on a child. The main concern is that in most cases of saviour siblings, the saviour sibling is too young to give consent. Treatments and transplants that saviour siblings are often very invasive and risky, not only that, but they often oppose religious practices. Adam Nash opened up to Denver 7 news saying “I like being able to help her. It gives you a very heavy sense of purpose.” While that was his opinion on his situation, you have to ask yourself if it’s possible to know that every saviour sibling will feel the same way about their situation.
Lulu and Nana As science has evolved throughout the decades, scientists have expanded from selecting “ideal” embryos to genetically modifying embryos for medical and cosmetic purposes. The first doctor to take that next disputed step in genetic engineering was dr. He of Loudi China. In November of 2018 dr. He claimed to have created the first genetically modified babies, known by the pseudonyms “Lulu and Nana”. Using CRISPr gene-editing technology He genetically modified the twins to be missing both of their CCR5 genes which leaves them resistant to HIV, however, they are at a higher risk of West Nile Virus and Japanese Encephalitis. It should also be noted that previous to 2013 CRISPr had only been utilized on vegetation. For these reasons, the experiment was widely regarded as a fail.
Designer Babies Despite the failure of dr. He’s an experiment, it has become more common practice since 2013 to use CRISPr on humans. In recent years we’ve seen many cases of designer babies. Designer babies are the practice of engineering an embryo’s genetic makeup to prevent certain diseases such as deafness, or well as inserting desired traits such as sex (family balancing), and eye colour. While many countries, including Canada, have an outright ban on Human Germline Engineering (designer babies), America is one of the few countries in which designer babies are legal in very specific cases that are overlooked by the FDA, while many countries have “Ambiguous rules regarding genetic engineering”.
Some say that in the coming years we will see more and more cases of Lulus, Nanas, and Adam Nashes, while some are calling for a global moratorium on Human Germline Engineering. We are the next generation of voters, activists, scientists. So, with all ethical considerations in mind, what do you decide. Should we be allowed to make decisions about our children that may affect their lives positively, or negatively? Should we be allowed to change the whole course of their lives in ways that will not only change them but their children and grandchildren to come? Would you want to be created instead of born, designed with a blueprint, and a purpose in life? Lastly, do you think that the scientists who are both saving, but possibly damaging others or even the same lives in one breath are superheroes, or censurable?
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