{"id":93864,"date":"2016-07-26T09:52:48","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T14:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2016\/07\/26\/american-voices-on-ways-human-enhancement-could-shape-our-future\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:16","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:16","slug":"american-voices-on-ways-human-enhancement-could-shape-our-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2016\/07\/26\/american-voices-on-ways-human-enhancement-could-shape-our-future\/","title":{"rendered":"American Voices on Ways Human Enhancement Could Shape Our Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><h4 id=\"themes-in-focus-group-discussions-of-biomedical-developments-that-could-enhance-body-and-brain\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Themes in focus group discussions of biomedical developments that could enhance body and brain<\/h4><p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">Many felt that while no effort should be spared to help the sick, society should proceed with caution before allowing biomedical advancements to boost the capacities of healthy people, fearing a slippery slope toward creation of \u201csuperhumans\u201d or human \u201crobots.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">While each of these enhancements could be seen as humans \u201cplaying God,\u201d some participants argued that these advances can be morally justified because God intended for humans to make the most of their abilities and to better humankind.<\/p><p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">Potential risks and abuses of these enhancements highlight the need for oversight; the guideposts for regulation should be \u201cdo no harm\u201d and \u201cbe fair.\u201d<\/p><p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">There was broad consensus that no enhancement should ever be imposed on anyone against his or her will.<\/p><p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\">The calculations and guideposts people use have a distinctive character depending on the type of enhancement.<\/p><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As far-reaching biomedical technologies emerge from research labs, Americans are beginning to grapple not only with how these breakthroughs might enhance people\u2019s health and abilities, but also with the profound ethical and moral questions the discoveries raise.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How much change in the physical makeup of humans is possible and acceptable? When does enhancement of human abilities cross a line by giving some people unfair advantages over others? What oversight and regulation of body- and brain-changing procedures is necessary? And how should the government or insurance marketplaces respond to the availability of life-altering technologies?<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center explored Americans\ufffd\ufffd attitudes toward these issues in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2016\/07\/26\/u-s-public-wary-of-biomedical-technologies-to-enhance-human-abilities\/\">nationally representative survey of more than 4,000 respondents<\/a>, supplemented with six focus groups across five regions of the country with a total of 47 participants. The focus groups were deliberately structured to include highly religious Christians as well as Americans who have no religious affiliation. The participants were racially and ethnically diverse, including whites, Latinos and blacks. And, since new biomedical developments are more likely to affect younger generations, the groups included a mix of Millennials and middle-aged adults.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This report describes the wide-ranging discussions that occurred in those focus groups, which, like the survey, centered around three potential kinds of human enhancements: gene-editing techniques that could give healthy babies a reduced risk of serious diseases over the course of their lives, computer chips implanted in the brains of healthy people that may help improve their concentration and ability to process information, and transfusions of synthetic blood designed to increase oxygen levels and give healthy people greater speed, strength and stamina.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><h4 id=\"focus-group-discussions-centered-on-three-potential-enhancements-for-healthy-individuals\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Focus group discussions centered on three potential enhancements for healthy individuals<\/h4><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Using gene-editing techniques on healthy babies to improve the immune system, allowing people to live with dramatically reduced risk of disease and illness.<\/li>\n<li>Implanting devices in the brains of healthy individuals, giving people significantly improved concentration, memory, ability to think and process information.<\/li>\n<li>Giving healthy individuals transfusions of synthetic blood substitute, enabling people to perform all sorts of tasks with significantly improved speed, strength and stamina.<\/li>\n<\/ul><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/07\/PS_2016.07.26_Human-Enhancement-Focus_AppendixA.pdf\">Appendix A<\/a> for full descriptions.<\/p><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While all these technologies are currently being developed in one form or another, none are widely available today to augment \u201chealthy\u201d people\u2019s abilities. Accordingly, participants in the focus groups were asked to think about scientific advances that were, in many cases, unfamiliar to them and then to perform acts of moral imagination, anticipating societal reactions to possible biomedical interventions. The conversations were aimed at eliciting different viewpoints and understanding the participants\u2019 moral reasoning. Though focus groups do not provide a representative portrait of the general public, they can yield insights into how individuals think about complex topics.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three kinds of human enhancements \u2013 though far from an exhaustive list of biomedical technologies now under development \u2013 were chosen to cover a range of procedures (from blood transfusions to brain surgery) and goals (improved physical abilities, improved thinking abilities, improved offspring). To help distinguish between therapies aimed at healing the sick or correcting serious disabilities and human <em>enhancements<\/em> designed to give people greater capabilities and longer lives, the focus groups were asked to consider medical interventions on otherwise \u201c<em>healthy\u201d <\/em>people.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within these limitations, the participants engaged in thoughtful and often passionate conversations. Their discussions revealed a number of clues about how and where Americans draw moral boundaries when considering scientific breakthroughs. And, to a considerable extent, the focus groups gave voice to concerns echoed in a representative survey of the general public. See \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2016\/07\/26\/u-s-public-wary-of-biomedical-technologies-to-enhance-human-abilities\/\">U.S. Public Wary of Biomedical Technologies to \u2018Enhance\u2019 Human Abilities<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><h4 id=\"six-focus-groups-locations-dates-and-composition\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Six focus groups: locations, dates and composition<\/h4><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each focus group consisted of seven or eight adults coming together for an hour and a half to two hours for a discussion led by a professional moderator.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Baltimore, Maryland, Jan. 19, 2016\n<\/strong>Black adults ages 18 to 65<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Birmingham, Alabama, Jan. 21, 2016\n<\/strong>White, non-Hispanic Christian adults ages 18 to 45 who say they attend religious services at least weekly or who say religion is very important in their lives<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Phoenix, Arizona, Jan. 27, 2016\n<\/strong>Hispanic adults ages 18 to 65<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dedham, Massachusetts, Jan. 28, 2016\n<\/strong>Religiously unaffiliated adults ages 18 to 35<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 4, 2016\n<\/strong>Black adults ages 18 to 65<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 4, 2016\n<\/strong>White, non-Hispanic Christian adults ages 45 to 64 who say they attend religious services at least weekly or who say religion is very important in their lives<\/p><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, the conversations reflected optimism about the march of science and technology, mixed with darker fatalism about social change. The focus groups were not pressed to reach agreement. But the general arc of the discussions, paraphrased broadly, might go something like this: Progress with technology and medical research is inevitable. It\u2019s exciting to imagine what might happen, and there are plenty of reasons to hope these changes will make life better. Still, such developments are disquieting. Some people will be left behind as human enhancements become available, and someone or some part of the government will need to watch carefully to rein in potential abuses, because we are heading to a place where the boundary between human and nonhuman becomes quite blurry.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One participant summed it all up this way:<\/p>\n\n<p>[when I hear these scenarios]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 52-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As they were asked to weigh pluses and minuses of these possibilities, many alternated between thinking about what they would do if their personal circumstances led them to consider an enhancement and thinking about how society would change if these enhancements were made available to everyone. It was telling that all the focus groups could easily construct substantial lists of advantages and disadvantages that might emerge if these new biomedical technologies become widely available to healthy people.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Participants in each focus group were selected to have some shared characteristics (such as race, ethnicity, age or religious background) to facilitate open discussion. The six groups (details in accompanying sidebar) were designed to elicit a variety of viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each group was convened with a moderator and seven or eight participants. All of the groups were recruited to include a balanced mix of men and women, and overall they were diverse in age (ranging between 18 and 64), household income and levels of educational attainment. Respondents were offered a small monetary incentive for their participation, with the exact amount varying by location. The focus groups were managed by Princeton Survey Research International and held at five sites around the country. For more details on how the discussions were facilitated, see the moderator guide in <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/07\/PS_2016.07.26_Human-Enhancement-Focus_AppendixA.pdf\">Appendix A<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specific sets of broad principles about the subject matter were rarely embraced by everyone in every case. Still, some themes and tendencies stood out. The rest of this report explores these themes in greater detail.<\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"many-felt-that-while-no-effort-should-be-spared-to-help-the-sick-society-should-proceed-with-caution-before-allowing-biomedical-advancements-to-boost-the-capacities-of-the-healthy-fearing-a-slippery\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Many felt that while no effort should be spared to help the sick, society should proceed with caution before allowing biomedical advancements to boost the capacities of the healthy, fearing a slippery slope toward the creation of \u201csuperhumans\u201d or human \u201crobots.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many focus group participants felt strongly that people with life-threatening diseases or significant disabilities deserve every chance to get whatever treatments might benefit them. However, they were equally insistent that brain-boosting or body-altering assistance for the wealthy, the vain or the excessively ambitious is a different matter. Most participants believed that healthy people should not gain immediate access to enhancements, especially if their main purpose is to gain advantages that \u201cordinary\u201d people would not have.<\/p>\n\n<p>[chip]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 50-year-old Hispanic woman in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While they often found reasons to support \u2013 or at least tolerate \u2013 gene editing, brain chip implants and synthetic blood transfusions, many participants expressed anxiety about how far the pursuit of human enhancement will go. Relatively few had clearly defined views of what is acceptable and what is not. Instead, they worried more generally about the social strife that might arise when some people can order up improvements that make them stronger and smarter, while others cannot.<\/p>\n\n<p>[them]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was not alone in feeling that recipients of these procedures may feel superior and act that way.<\/p>\n\n<p>[trying to create]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 59-year-old white woman in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[synthetic blood]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 31-year-old black man in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cI hate to sound like a jerk, but I think \u2026 this comes with a certain amount of arrogance when you get this. Because now you go from being \u2018normal Dave\u2019 in the room to the smartest guy in the room. Being able to \u2013 can\u2019t have a fight with your wife because you remember every single word that was said because now you have increased memory and everything else.<\/em> \u201c<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 40-year-old Hispanic man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u201cI think [synthetic blood] would sort of fundamentally change who we are. \u2026\u00a0You would have this culture of people just obsessed with being bigger, stronger, faster, and just outperforming everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2013 35-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants worried that, in the pursuit of perfection through enhancement, humans could also lose their individuality and humanity, becoming more like robots than people. Many agreed that these issues should be confronted sooner rather than later because they affect essential notions about who humans are and what they can do.<\/p>\n\n<p>[but there are]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 59-year-old white woman in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[synthetic blood]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 35-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the eyes of these focus group participants, widespread use of human enhancements by healthy people has the potential to upend some of the most important aspects of human existence. These include family relations, workplace dynamics, dealings between socioeconomic classes and connections among racial, ethnic and religious groups.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, the Boston group of religiously unaffiliated young adults discussed what would happen to families when more than three generations are alive at the same time.<\/p>\n\n<p>[changes]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 33-year-old white woman in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Others envisioned changing workplaces, with enhancements being used as a means for career advancement.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cWho gets the promotion at work? Because you could afford to have an implant so you get it? I mean, what about everybody else? \u2026 It\u2019s not fair to people who wouldn\u2019t be able to afford that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 50-year-old Hispanic woman in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants expressed concern that gene editing would lead to a less diverse human race. In general, people spoke out in favor of genetic diversity for its perceived health and species-survival benefits. As one woman thought about the impact on future generations, she speculated that if both she and her husband had nearly identical \u201cperfect genes \u2026 and you have a kid, it\u2019s probably going to be all messed up because you don\u2019t have different gene pools to make a healthy child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some also worried creativity would suffer if a process like gene editing homogenized the species. As one participant put it: \u201cAt what point do we only have three different types of people as opposed to having all of the great diversity that we have? That\u2019s what makes us us.\u201d Another focus group member said she was worried there would eventually be \u201cone race of people\u201d and that would make for a diminished human experience.<\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"while-each-of-these-enhancements-could-be-seen-as-humans-playing-god-some-participants-argued-that-these-biomedical-advances-can-be-morally-justified-because-god-intended-for-humans\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">While each of these enhancements could be seen as humans \u201cplaying God,\u201d some participants argued that these biomedical advances can be morally justified because God intended for humans to make the most of their abilities and to better humankind.<\/h4>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every focus group had members who opposed at least one of these enhancements on moral grounds. Many expressed the expectation that all three kinds of enhancements would be opposed by people of faith because they affect the basic makeup and capacities of humans. Yet even some of the most highly religious people in these groups noted that the human condition has been vastly improved by a long line of technological and medical advancements. For participants who took this view, these procedures seemed more like \u201cevolutionary\u201d advances, rather than \u201crevolutionary\u201d departures:<\/p>\n\n<p>[and it\u2019s OK to take advantage of that]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 52-year-old black evangelical Protestant man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI think that\u2019s one of those things where you don\u2019t realize the religious effect it has on you personally until it affects you personally.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2013\u00a040-year-old Hispanic Christian man in Phoenix<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p>[order]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another Christian woman, in Atlanta, expressed the belief that technology cannot actually change or evade God\u2019s plans for each person. \u201cI believe that we all have a certain time to live, to die,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One participant noted the tension between his personal religious beliefs about God\u2019s plan and his generally accepting attitude toward technological change. He said that although he may feel that human enhancements are acceptable, in the abstract, if he had to personally receive them, he would be conflicted religiously.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cI think that\u2019s one of those things where you don\u2019t realize the religious effect it has on you personally until it affects you personally. It\u2019s easy to say no, that\u2019s OK, that\u2019s OK, until it\u2019s you and then you have to deal with it, you have to sleep at night.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">&#8211; 40-year-old Hispanic Christian man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An opposing line of thought embraced by some, including members of the religiously engaged groups, was that all preventive medicine could be interpreted as people honoring God\u2019s wish for them to strive to make life better. This view emphasizes that God gave people the ability to take care of themselves and responsibility for each other. As one man in Atlanta put it, \u201c\u2026 they\u2019re already playing God now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>[trying]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 44-year-old white mainline Protestant man in Birmingham, Ala.<\/p>\n\n<p>[or]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 50-year-old Hispanic evangelical Protestant woman in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p>[in]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Atlanta participant sought to split the difference, in a sense. He said he would like to apply a standard so that those who want enhancements for \u201cmoral reasons\u201d could get them and those seeking enhancements for \u201camoral reasons\u201d would be weeded out.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some noted, too, that their wariness about the societal impact of enhancements could change if they, or a loved one, personally faced some of the challenges that these procedures might alleviate. A man described his own change in thinking due to family circumstances:<\/p>\n\n<p>[going to]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 25-year-old Hispanic man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"potential-risks-and-abuses-of-these-enhancements-highlight-the-need-for-oversight-the-guideposts-for-regulation-should-be-do-no-harm-and-be-fair\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Potential risks and abuses of these enhancements highlight the need for oversight; the guideposts for regulation should be \u201cdo no harm\u201d and \u201cbe fair.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a rule, focus group participants expressed the view that policies covering the availability of these procedures should hew to two broad principles. The first is the basic medical ethic: \u201cDo no harm.\u201d Many participants worried about the unforeseeable effects of editing the human genome and implanting foreign material into healthy people\u2019s brains. What if these procedures actually made people sicker or affected people\u2019s immune systems? Worse, what if a particular gene change spun out of control?<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cYour whole personality would change. You\u2019d be what the chip wants you to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2013 48-year-old white man in Atlanta<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When focus group members talked about the impact of brain chips, they worried about possible brain damage during the chip implant process, side effects that might be hard to undo, the possible diminution of creativity, bad behavior that could not readily be explained but might be related to the chips, and brain manipulation that might make people less autonomous. A common refrain was that corporate makers of chips, criminals or hackers might gain access to people\u2019s brains and even have the capacity to control them. A sampler of their concerns:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em> \u201cAre we becoming robots, is that what the whole society\u2019s going to become? And then pretty soon someone will hack the computer system that you hook up to and throw a little virus in your brain and then what? You lose your identity as a person.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 50-year-old Hispanic woman in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cThe thing just keeps going over in my brain is that you\u2019re altering the brain. It\u2019s such a high risk. \u2026When you think about DNA, OK, but it\u2019s your brain. It\u2019s so complex and I just feel this is very, very high risk.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 27-year-old white woman in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<p>[have]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 38-year-old black man in Baltimore<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cLike all technology, it breaks down. And how long will it last? Is there no guarantee on how long it will last inside the brain?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 48-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cYour whole personality would change. You\u2019d be what the chip wants you to be.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 48-year-old white man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[of evaluation]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second principle many participants said they would want applied is to \u201cbe fair\u201d in making human enhancements obtainable. There was a consistent view that people in dire medical need should get first crack at the new techniques, while those whose needs were cosmetic or seemingly trivial (e.g., to cope with conditions that are the equivalent of a \u201crunny nose\u201d or people who \u201cwant to change their eye color\u201d) should not be able to get enhancements like gene editing, many focus group members argued.<\/p>\n\n<p>[if]<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cI would [worry about creating a gap] in society between the haves and have nots.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2013 31-year-old black man in\nthe Boston area<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Focus group participants were particularly anxious about gene editing and the possibility that it would be available to the wealthy, but not fully available or affordable for others.<\/p>\n\n<p>[that performs gene editing]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 48-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inevitably, some felt those with enhancements would be in advantageous positions, which would go against the principle of fairness and prompt futuristic versions of inequality.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cIf it\u2019s there for everybody to get, then it\u2019s a good thing. But if only a certain sector of society can get it, then that\u2019s never good.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 52-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[and don\u2019t care about them]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 40-year-old Hispanic man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several took the argument to a broader level by arguing that the long-term impact of unequal access to human enhancements would be that the wealthy and their offspring would have better survival rates and be more productive than those from less-well-off families, because richer people would have the best immune systems. That could deepen class fissures and lead to dystopia.<\/p>\n\n<p>[worry about creating a gap]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 31-year-old black man in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Really, what\u2019s the difference between [a brain chip] and taking a bunch of vitamins that improve our memory?<cite>&#8211; 46-year-old white evangelical Christian woman in Atlanta<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some pushed back against these dystopian notions, however. The focus group made up of white Christians in Atlanta included people who were not convinced that social strife would ensue, and who compared future enhancements to existing technologies that have not worsened social divisions.<\/p>\n\n<p>[It\u2019s more like]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 61-year-old white evangelical Protestant man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[a brain chip]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">&#8211; 46-year-old white evangelical Christian woman in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, some noted that social divisions have always existed and thought these potential enhancements would be in keeping with what we already experience in society.<\/p>\n\n<p>[and]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 23-year-old black man in Baltimore<\/p>\n\n<p>[changing the]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 25-year-old Hispanic man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cI think we may be overthinking this because some people are already generally faster and have more strength. \u2026 You\u2019re just going to be stronger than me always; it\u2019s not going to be a today or tomorrow; we\u2019re already living in that world.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 31-year-old black woman in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some, the fairness concept also concerned the way enhancements would be applied. They said it would be permissible to use enhancements to help those with clear physical or mental deficits, but would be too much to make well-functioning people perform at an even higher level. For instance, a participant in Birmingham said he would approve of enhancements to \u201cbring people up to normal\u201d levels of performance, but would not back improvements that would give someone superhuman abilities.<\/p>\n\n<p>[its]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But others thought a government agency like the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be the best candidate to make rules and enforce them. When pondering access to brain chip implants, focus group participants talked about age limits, screening committees of doctors and review boards composed of people with diverse interests to handle patient requests.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cI would think it would be sort of a board or committee with health officials, government officials, like different groups but together, so you don\u2019t have to just have one group running it.<\/em> \u201c<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 35-year-old black man in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cIf you\u2019re going to have only certain people get it, kind of like cosmetic surgery, then you do need a governing body pretty much handing out the licenses and having the powers to deactivate it if you do something stupid with it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 25-year-old Hispanic man in Phoenix<\/p>\n\n<p>[gene editing]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of participants made the case there should be screenings of candidates for enhancements. \u201cI think there has to be a line that you say, \u2018OK, how do we regulate this? How do we not let this get out of hand?\u2019\u201d said an Atlanta man. Another in his group said there should be close scrutiny of the creators of these enhancements: \u201cWhat kind of group is inventing this technology? Are they doing it for the betterment of our society or are they doing it to make a great buck?\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Hispanic man drew nods from others in the Phoenix-region group when he said, \u201cI think there are certain processes that are going to be involved that just not everybody can have it. And maybe that\u2019s financial, maybe that psychological, maybe \u2013 what have you. But I don\u2019t think that it should be available just to everybody.\u201d He argued that the process should block those with bad intentions and it should bar practitioners who were indiscriminate in providing enhancements.<\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"there-was-broad-consensus-that-no-enhancement-should-ever-be-imposed-on-anyone-against-his-or-her-will\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">There was broad consensus that no enhancement should ever be imposed on anyone against his or her will.<\/h4>\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I shouldn\u2019t have more control over somebody\u2019s ability to figure out what\u2019s going to work best for them.<cite>\u2013 31-year-old black woman in the Boston area<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was the one principle that was largely unchallenged when it came up in the groups: that getting these procedures should be a decision left up to individuals.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several of the groups turned the discussion at times into an exploration of whether societies might move toward a kind of preventative medicine model, but none of those who pondered these issues liked the idea of a public health mandate or incentive structure to push people into getting these enhancements. If enhancements were embraced by wide segments of the industry and government, people said, what\u2019s to prevent them from becoming mandatory?<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants speculated that if there were no restraints on new biomedical procedures, companies might require employees to get enhancements in order to be more productive \u2013 or educational institutions might insist that their students get enhancements so that all students would be focused, productive and never absent. This troubled focus group members. A woman in Baltimore worried that enhancements might be implemented through communities to \u201ccontrol\u201d them and make inhabitants \u201crobots\u201d and order them to \u201cdo this, and this and this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One young adult from the Boston area put it this way: \u201cI wonder if we could ever get to the point where you could say then that it is required like vaccinations for schools. \u2026 Are we going to have kids that aren\u2019t able to attend certain places because their DNA hasn\u2019t been changed?\u201d She did not think that would be a good outcome.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most felt that a mandatory application of these enhancements would be disastrous to the social fabric of society. It should be \u201cup to the person\u201d whether to get an enhancement or not and should not be a policy dictate, said a Phoenix woman. \u201cIt would cross the line if you are making it a requirement and forcing people to do it,\u201d argued a woman in Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have more control over somebody\u2019s ability to figure out what\u2019s going to work best for them. I think if it causes harm to the collective and causes harm to general society, then yeah, we need to have it evaluated. But if it\u2019s going to affect their individual life and they can take the superdrug and \u2026 that\u2019s what they need to do, fine. For myself personally, I don\u2019t think I would need those things.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u2013 <\/em>31-year-old black woman in the Boston area<\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"the-moral-calculations-and-guideposts-people-use-have-a-distinctive-character-depending-on-the-type-of-enhancement\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The moral calculations and guideposts people use have a distinctive character depending on the type of enhancement.<\/h4>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While common themes emerged in the focus group discussions about all three kinds of enhancements, each of the individual scenarios elicited unique moral calculations.<\/p>\n\n<h5 id=\"gene-editing-for-healthy-babies-to-reduce-risk-of-serious-diseases\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gene editing for healthy babies to reduce risk of serious diseases<\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As participants thought about this scenario, they often agreed that the promise of gene editing would be healthier, longer-living humans. Some found the idea of protecting their children from a lifetime of disease very appealing. At the same time, people expressed concerns about the long-term impact on society. Some were anxious about the impact on future generations, on the diversity of the human species, on people\u2019s creativity, on core identity issues for recipients and on inter-generational relations. Further, people expressed concern about the use of gene-editing techniques on such things as parents ordering up \u201cdesigner babies\u201d or abusive tyrants trying to engineer their populations.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prospect of using gene editing to prevent disease struck some as a profound alteration. \u201cIt seems like if you\u2019re fooling around with gene editing and changing DNA, you are fundamentally changing something about the way a human being is originally created,\u201d noted a white, evangelical Christian man who opposed the idea.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some focus group participants were upbeat about the potential for gene editing to conquer diseases like cancer and Alzheimer\u2019s, with a likely increase in human longevity. \u201cIf I\u2019m going to live to be 120, I could start two other careers and have a lot of time for fulfillment and fitting a lot more into your life,\u201d noted one woman in the Boston area.<\/p>\n\n<p>[of living with a genetic disease or illness]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 58-year-old white woman in Atlanta<\/p>\n\n<p>[This is]<\/p>\n\n\n<h5 id=\"brain-chip-implants-for-greater-concentration-and-memory\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brain chip implants for greater concentration and memory<\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many focus groups members worried about the wisdom and ethics of tampering with people\u2019s brains. This seemed to them a more perilous and less rewarding activity than gene editing because the process of implanting brain chips could affect people\u2019s individuality, thinking abilities and emotions. Several Christians made references to the \u201cmark of the beast\u201d in the Bible\u2019s book of Revelation, a symbol tied to the Antichrist and Armageddon, and argued that such implants could especially be susceptible to manipulation for evil purposes. \u201cThat\u2019s talking about what they talked about in the Bible,\u201d noted one evangelical Christian in Phoenix. \u201cIt\u2019s scary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In separate groups that were made up of relatively active religious participants \u2013 including whites, Latinos and blacks \u2013 participants also made this connection.<\/p>\n\n<p>[how]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 23-year-old black man in Baltimore<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><em>\u201cIf you have studied the Bible or gone to church or whatever, could this be like the mark of the beast?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2013 34-year-old white evangelical Protestant woman in Birmingham<\/p>\n\n<p>[worry about]<\/p>\n\n\n<p>[or]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the opposite end of the spectrum, others were concerned that people might rely too much on the chip for their thinking processes. As one Atlanta woman put it: \u201cThat chip might be your God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cross section of participants, ranging from highly religious people in Atlanta to religiously unaffiliated Millennials in the Boston area, expressed related fears about how chip implants could lead to humans becoming robot-like \u2013 and to brains being hacked. \u201cIt would be like somebody would be married to a robot,\u201d argued one participant from Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n<h5 id=\"transfusion-of-synthetic-blood-substitutes-for-physical-speed-strength-and-stamina\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transfusion of synthetic blood substitutes for physical speed, strength and stamina<\/h5>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there were some who seemed taken with the idea of synthetic blood, the overall tenor of the group discussions about this scenario was largely negative. Many participants referred to doping by athletes trying to cheat their way to a competitive advantage, saying it was hard to see how the use of synthetic blood could be anything but a corner-cutting boost to higher human performance.<\/p>\n\n<p>[and]<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another participant suggested an outcome might be an akin to an arms race among individuals to best each other. The availability of synthetic blood might induce people to push past reasonable physical limits and hurt themselves, or it may prompt bosses to pressure workers into getting transfusions of synthetic blood to increase their capabilities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Focus group participants discuss biomedical developments that could boost the performance of people\u2019s bodies and brains<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"Focus group participants discuss biomedical developments that could boost the performance of people\u2019s bodies and brains","sub_title":"Focus group participants discuss biomedical developments that could boost the performance of people\u2019s bodies and 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