Week #1: Things I Mean To Know(1)

How has the introduction of gene editing to create ‘designer’ babies influenced the sperm donor industry?

Initially when delving into possible research topics, I wanted to avoid doing something that was ethically controversial and gene editing practically screams controversial. However, I found a way to make my topic more focused so that it honed in on the causation of the two ideas presented. I was particularly intrigued by this topic because often times with such revolutionary findings we fail to realize the real life implications that come with it. With gene editing and the sperm donor industry loosely revolving around the same idea, I wanted to explore how the allure of designer babies would evolve or regress sperm donors. Through using online research databases such as JSTOR, I was able to sift through information on sperm donors and gene editing. One notable piece of information is that donor sperm is in short supply so qualifying donors are needed more than ever (Hargreave 613). I personally was not aware of the decline of sperm donors and therefore am led to believe that if individuals and/or families could manipulate the child after conception, then the lack of sperm donors would not matter as much and even cause an influx in earnings. Despite this, I am fully aware that I have only grazed the surface of this and therefore am still undecided as to where I stand on the topic in question. 

Citation:

Hargreave, T. B. “Artificial Insemination By Donor”. British Medical Journal, vol. 291, no. 6496, 2015, pp. 613–614. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/29520464.