Many Americans rely on drugs, medical devices, and surgery at some point in their lives to combat sickness or disease. But despite medical advances, lifespans are shortening, cancer rates are skyrocketing, and rare diseases are becoming more widespread. Simultaneously, cutting-edge medical research is no longer seeking to address these alarming concerns. Instead, “medical science is focused on making us better than well,” argues Dr. Aaron Kheriaty—on making us “stronger, faster, and smarter.”
New medical innovations herald gene editing technologies, reproductive technologies, and longevity innovations as the future of health. And yet, not only have many of these experimental products and devices failed, but they’ve also resulted in irreversible harm to the people they’ve been tested on.
In the documentary, “Altered Humans: How Biotech is Changing Who We Are,” Director Shaista Justin examines these claims with a slew of renowned technological industry experts. Delving deeper, she probes the moral and ethical questions surrounding these technologies, asking not only whether the science is plausible, but if it is even desirable. Does progress for the sake of progress really move the needle forward for us as a species, or are we merely unwitting victims of medical experimentation that shouldn’t be pursued in the first place?
“It’s the biggest scam of all time, and we’re living in it.”
— Alethea Wieland, Biotechnology Regulatory Expert, 2023
