South Africa's Quiet Step into Gene Editing Controversy

South Africa's recent amendment to its national health research guidelines may open the door to heritable human genome editing, creating genetically modified children. The change has international implications, raising ethical concerns and possible legal misalignments amidst global hesitation towards this controversial technology.

A recent change in South Africa’s national health research guidelines has stirred global attention, positioning it as potentially the first nation to explicitly allow research into creating genetically modified children through heritable human genome editing.

This controversial field, associated with significant ethical and societal concerns, became infamous in 2018 when a Chinese scientist announced the creation of gene-edited babies. Despite global criticism and the existence of safe alternative procedures, South Africa’s move stands out.

The country's guidelines appear more relaxed than current international standards, prompting questions about the alignment of these new regulations with existing South African laws and the implications for international researchers and future scientific explorations.

(With inputs from agencies.)