An exhilarating opportunity that the CRISPR technology could provide was the idea of organ transplants for animals, such as pigs. The DNA revolution article discussed that pigs have similar organs and genetic makeups to humans. This idea could completely change the way the we look at organ transplants. The use of pigs could save countless lives, and potentially change the stage at which transplants occur, allowing them quicker after diagnosis to prevent years of illness, suffering, and medical bills. While this is exciting, it is hard not to think about the negative side to this. First, there are ethics surrounding the use of animals like they are non-sentient beings, which causes issues such as protests. There is also the unknown that may occur if we are not careful. The article stated that pigs have a gene that mimics AIDS and is transferrable to humans, a possibility if it is not completely eradicated from the pig that the organs are being harvested from. The unknown idea of illnesses, rejections, and other medical issues is a frightening idea to the door we may be opening.
Gene editing should not be done on humans. I believe this would create a lot of issues that would be difficult to predict. It would also create a change in the social structure that we know. Gene editing seems like it would only be available to those who can afford, and would be a symbol of wealth, something that may create the rich to be richer and the poor to be poorer. The unique idea of we are who we are would be lost, and many people may be offended due to their religious beliefs. I think it would open a door that no one would expect, and cause a lot of issues.