Reproductive rights advocate says opposition to genetic engineering advancements are ‘intertwined with abortion politics’

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s chief advocacy and policy development officer said in an interview that aired Wednesday on “Rising” that opposition to recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering are “intertwined with abortion politics.” 

“It’s not a scientific argument… it’s a political issue. It’s because there are special interest groups who want to stop this research,” Sean Tipton told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton last month.

“It’s strictly intertwined with abortion politics. It’s a question revolving around the moral and legal status of the embryo, and that’s all it is,” he continued. 

“This technique would allow you to edit that gene out, and the difference is that means not only would that baby not have the disease, all of that baby’s offspring would not have the disease,” Tipton said. “That’s where it gets controversial. That’s called germline editing because that changes the genome forever, and that’s what people get uncomfortable with.”

“Our concern is that we’re stopping the discussion before we understand what this technique can or can’t do,” he said. 

Tipton was referring to Chinese scientist He Jiankui’s claim last month that 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. 

The claim has sparked controversy from scientists around the world who say the experiment may not have been performed ethically. 

— Julia Manchester