Abstract
In the wake of reports that a Chinese biophysicist, He Jiankui, used a genome editing technology, CRISPR/Cas9, to modify the CCR5 gene in viable human embryos, the criticism from the international scientific and bioethics communities has been swift and unrelenting. The overwhelming conclusion is that Dr. He’s procedure was deceptive, violated Chinese law, flaunted international ethical norms, and put the babies at physical risk. It was, simply put, unethical human experimentation. Dr. He has since disappeared, raising the question whether the experiment was a hoax. The long shadow of Hwang Woo-suk—the infamous human cloning fraudster—is now cast upon the scene.