Congress weighs dropping ban on altering DNA of human embryos

A congressional committee is expected to vote today to drop a ban on genome editing to alter embryos intended for pregnancies. The decision could pave the way for babies whose genomes have been edited in a way that would affect future generations — like China’s “CRISPR babies” — or for babies created from genetic material from three people. The ban on the procedure has been attached to FDA spending bills for the past three years, but the latest such bill, which was approved by a House subcommittee last month, does not include this rider. Some scientists are urging Congress to not drop the rider, arguing that it would be the only thing preventing the creation of “genetically engineered children.” Othersare urging Congress to allow for experiments to create so-called three-parent embryos, a technology with the potential to prevent mitochondrial diseases.