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Designer Babies? South Africa Revises Research Guidelines to Permit Heritable Human Genome Editing

Recently, South Africa has taken steps that could lead to the creation of "designer babies." While this term may sound unusual, it reflects a significant advancement in genetic science. In May, South Africa announced a revision to its national health research guidelines. This change has the potential to make the country the first to endorse genome editing for the creation of genetically modified children. This development could represent a major breakthrough in genetic modification. However, editing human genes that can be inherited has always been a controversial topic. Many people are concerned about the social implications and the risks involved.