Chinese scientist who genetically edited babies gets 3 years in prison.
A court in China on Monday sentenced He JianKui, the researcher who shocked the global scientific community when claimed that he has created the world's first genetically edited babies, to 3 years in prison for carrying out "illegal medical practices."
He's declaration made him a pariah among scientists and embroiled other U.S. scientists who were connected to He. Although He offered no proof and did not share any evidence or data that definitively proved he had done it, his colleagues had said it was possible that he had succeeded.
The international condemnation from the scientific community that followed He's announcement came because many nations, including the United States, had banned such work, fearing that it could be misused to create "designer babies" and alter everything from eye color to IQ.
Despite the outcry, He was unrepentant. A day after he made his announcement on genetically edited babies, he defended his actions, saying they were safe and ethical, and he was proud of what he had done.
The case captured the attention of many Chinese people who had not seen or heard from He in the past year. The hashtag "Sentencing in the Genetically Edited Babies Case" was trending on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
"He violated medical ethics, disrespected life and let three poor children bear the consequence, all for his fame and fortune," one user wrote. "I think this punishment is too light."
sentence 判决 v.
declare---to say sth. officially or publicly
pariah 受蔑视的人 n.
embroil---to involve someone or something in a difficult situation
condemnation 谴责 n.
outcry 呐喊；强烈抗议 n.
unrepentant---showing no regret for one's wrong doings
bear 忍受 v.
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