And there’s no doubt that genetic interventions will help the 0.01 percent of the population who suffer from rare conditions brought about by faulty genes. What they won’t do, however, is solve the basic problem: our society’s failing health. What I object to is our focus on genetics to the near exclusion of everything else. Currently, hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent on genetic testing and sequencing every year in the United States, without getting us any closer to solving our health-care crisis. Our society’s multibillion-dollar investment in genetics will help only a very
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