F Ashley. "Do Trans/Humanists Dream of Electric Tits? CRISPR and Transgender Bioethics" in Neal Baer (ed), Reshaping Human Nature: The Promise and Peril of CRISPR (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024)
Abstract: This chapter explores on the possibilities and risks of CRISPR gene editing for trans lives, discussing its potential use in conversion practices and medical transition before offering some reflections on the ethics of hype. For those who believe in a ‘trans gene’, CRISPR risks being used as a form of high-tech conversion practices to ‘correct’ trans existence. Regardless of its effectiveness in that regard, the spectre of CRISPR highlights lacunas in ethical discussions around conversion practices. CRISPR could more positively be used as a form of high-tech medical transition, helping trans people customize transition-related interventions and better achieve their embodiment goals. However, this prospect is also fraught due to the prevalence of cisnormativity within the medical profession. Rather than loosening gender norms, CRISPR could reinforce them by excluding trans people who do not want to blend in with cisnormative society. CRISPR is hyped. It lets us imagine possibilities that can sustain life as much as destroy it. Given these risks, bioethical engagement with CRISPR should begin by discussing the ethics of hype. Caught in the daydreams of CRISPR’s endless possibilities, let us not forget to fight for a better world. (Link to paper)