ABSTRACT
Proponents of what has been called liberal eugenics have argued that parents living in liberal societies where value pluralism dominates should be given the freedom to make choices about their children's genetics. CRISPR-Cas9 is a naturally-occurring genome editing system found in bacterial cells. Molecular biologists have developed CRISPR into an array of molecular tools that will allow genome engineers to precisely edit and change the DNA of any living organism. Though this technology promises to revolutionize medicine, it also can be used to design and customize future generations of persons. Should CRISPR-Cas9 technologies be deployed to facilitate liberal eugenics? This chapter argues that risk analysis precludes this option because one can never know the risks of this technology for future generations without actually using this technology to make offspring who have been genetically engineered with CRISPR. As such, one can never properly assess the benefits and risks of this technology, which is a requirement for the ethical use of any medical intervention in a liberal society that prohibits causing harm to another. First do no harm. Primum non nocere.
