[The Hill] The American Society for Reproductive Medicine's chief advocacy and policy development officer said in an interview that aired Wednesday on "Rising" that the U.S. is taking itself out of genetic exploration by prohibiting certain kinds of genetic engineering. "We have great scientists. We have great oversight of science in this country," Sean Tipton told Hill.TV's Buck Sexton in an interview last month.
"We're taking ourselves out of the game. What happens when you do that is the work is going to be done in other places by other people, who may not have those same kind of oversights," he continued.
Tipton's comments come after Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, claimed he was able to edit the genes of twin babies in an effort to protect them from HIV. The scientist said the breakthrough could protect children and their future offspring from genetic diseases such as certain types of cancer and muscular dystrophy.