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Altering Human Genome Essay

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Altering Human Genome

“The gene pool could use a little chlorine.”
-Bumper Sticker

“Consider God’s handiwork; who can straighten what He hath made crooked?”
-Ecclesiastes 7:13, from Gattaca

“I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature. I think Mother wants us to.”
-Willard Gaylin, from Gattaca

With the scientific breakthroughs of the recent decades the humans have become more powerful than ever in their mastery of Nature. The genetic engineering that allows extracting and modifying the genetic makeup of the future person or animal is in a sense the power of Creation. According to the Genesis, we are created in God’s image. The power to modify our chromosomes not only presents to us the vast possibilities, but …show more content…

The same goes for myopia, or more serious diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

It is unethical to deny the “disadvantaged” persons their autonomy, and the right to a happy existence. Therefore, we must not prevent the persons from living a happy and reproducing. However, from the utilitarian point of view, we need to do something to keep up the well-being of the human society. The benefits of the society (humanity) outweigh those of individual, but at the same time by undermining the rights of the individual we betray the society’s trust into the ethical constructs that govern the society. A compromise has to be made.

With eugenics, this “exponential increase of micro-genetic illness” could be eliminated completely or reduced to negligible numbers within a few generations. Both parties win: the society will not be burdened by the deteriorating pool, and at the same time the person will have the ability to enjoy the equal freedom of actions. That sounds dandy; however, not all stakeholders have been considered. The most important stakeholder in the situation is the future baby that will have to live with the altered generic makeup. Unfortunately we cannot ask the baby whether it wants to have its genes altered in one way or another. The genetic alterations are done at a preliminary stage of development, when the

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