Let's play God!(Letters) (Letter to the editor)

• Author: Marx, Eric

After enjoying Veronique de Rugy's essay, "Government Failure Is Baked In" (November), I turned the page to read Ronald Bailey describe how genetic modifications of wild populations may be in our future ("Let's Play God!"). He briefly touches on both pros and cons, but then shocks readers with this lopsided conclusion: "The usual Luddites will strive mightily to scare policy makers into banning gene drives. But with proper safeguards, the benefits clearly outweigh the possible downsides." Really?

Name-calling as "Luddites" those who fear unintended consequences of tampering with the DNA of wild populations reveals a...