Honestly with Bari Weiss Is Designing Babies Unethical—or a Moral Imperative?
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Dec 2, 2025 
In a thought-provoking discussion, Jamie Metzl, a technology and healthcare futurist, advocates for regulated germline editing, highlighting potential benefits. O. Carter Snead, a bioethicist, argues against such interventions, emphasizing parental humility and societal risks. Dr. Allyson Berent shares her personal experience with her daughter's condition, making a compelling case for editing to prevent suffering. Dr. Lydia Dugdale raises alarms about safety and the historical implications of eugenics, urging for cautious conversation on this emerging technology.
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Bad Actors Don’t Nullify Ethical Paths
- Jamie Metzl condemns He Jiankui's 2018 CRISPR babies as unethical human experimentation.
- He uses that example to argue for careful governance rather than blanket prohibition.
UK Mitochondrial Transfer As Precedent
- Jamie Metzl pointed to eight UK children born via mitochondrial transfer as existing examples of heritable intervention.
- He uses the UK process to show how deliberation and oversight produced life-saving outcomes.
Regulate, Don't Blanket-Ban
- Proceed with germline technologies only under strong governance, oversight, and strict constraints.
- Insist on conservative, limited clinical applications and robust safeguards before wider use.
