In 2025, genetic technologies continue to develop rapidly. Human genome editing, stem cell therapy, and even genetic “enhancement” of offspring are no longer science fiction. We are on the threshold of a transformation of human biological nature and it is now that bioethics comes to the fore to ask the main question: what is the dividing line between ‘treatment‘ and ‘manipulation‘?
Genetic Engineering: Therapy to Improvement
Initially, genetic engineering was developed with the aim of eliminating serious hereditary diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Fanconi anemia or Huntington’s disease.
The use of CRISPR-Cas9 technologies and its improved versions in 2024-2025 made it possible to carry out precise changes in DNA already at an early embryonic stage.
However, in 2025, attention has shifted to a much more controversial area: human enhancement.
This includes attempts to increase intelligence, physical endurance, vision, and reduce susceptibility to aging.
Countries in Asia and the Middle East are investing in biotechnology that promises to create "improved" children and this is causing alarm among bioethicists.
Scandals and Regulation: Lessons from China
After the high-profile case of Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who created the first GMO twins in 2018, the global community tightened the rules.
However by 2023, the media started to leak more stories about “experiments behind closed doors” in private labs.
In response, in 2025, the World Health Organisation, together with UNESCO, developed global ethical principles for human genome editing, calling for transparency, scientific accountability, and international cooperation.
Yet any unified international law is still a long way off.
Philosophical Dilemma
Bioethical debates are not limited to legal frameworks. Important qestions remain:
- Do parents have the right to choose the traits of their future child?
- Does this violate the principle of human dignity?
- Will this lead to a new kind of inequality, ‘genetic elitism’, when only the rich can afford the “best children”?
Some philosophers, such as François Ewald, argue that society has an obligation to “use technology for good” if it can prevent suffering. Others, such as Jürgen Habermas, warn of the threat of losing the “natural identity” of man.
In 2025, the boundaries between treatment and enhancement are increasingly blurred. The new wave of bioethics requires not just a scientific approach, but deep public debate and the joint development of norms across countries, cultures, and generations.
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