Outlines
Here, we will provide an outline of each of the four texts presented in the source material. This will help you understand the different issues and opinions found in the texts.
I: “Promise and peril of gene-editing technology CRISPR”
Author: CBS This Morning
Genre: Video
Year of Publication: 2015
Text I is a video which was published in 2015 on YouTube by CBS This Morning.
The video sets out to show how CRISPR, a technology that can edit genetic mistakes, is surrounded by controversy when it comes to its use on humans. One of the creators of this technology, Jennifer Doudna, is interviewed and she is asked to explain what CRISPR means. According to her, CRISPR is an acronym for “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats”, which are segments of DNA.
Doudna compares the CRISPR technology to a film editor and states that CRISPR’s purpose is to edit genetic code. Put simply, when a mutation is discovered, the CRISPR technology can easily replace it with a healthy gene. Doudna is optimistic when it comes to CRISPR curing genetic diseases, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, and even HIV.
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II: “Critics of ‘designer babies’ speak out”
Author: Daily Mail Online
Genre: Video
Year of Publication: 2013
Text II is a video clip which was published in 2013 on the Daily Mail website, as well as on YouTube.
Dr David King, Head of Human Genetics Alert, expresses his worry that the CRISPR technology crosses ethical lines. His opinion is that genetic alterations on human beings should not happen, as it would only open the way to a dangerous future, filled with so-called ‘designer babies’.
Creating ‘designer babies’ means genetically altering a human being while in the form of an embryo, so as to create a perfectly healthy child without the risk of any disease.
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III: “Many Americans are wary of using gene editing for human enhancement”
Author: David Masci
Genre: Article
Year of Publication: 2016
Text III is an article that was published in 2016 on the website Pew Research and that was written by David Masci.
In the text, Masci tries to show the distrust of Americans when it comes to using the CRISPR technology for editing human embryos.
First, Masci acknowledges the use of CRISPR for the purpose of creating medical treatments. However, he also explains that the same technology can be used to alter human embryos, with the promise of making enhanced human beings – healthier and stronger.
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IV: “China Has Launched the First-Ever CRISPR Gene-Editing Trial in Humans ”
Author: Sy Mukherjee
Genre: Article
Year of Publication: 2016
Text IV is an article written by Sy Mukherjee in 2016, which was published on the website of Fortune.
The article begins with the information that the CRISPR gene-altering technology has been applied on a human patient in China. The patient suffered from lung cancer and he participated in a trial held at the West China Hospital.
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