Ethical Issues In Genetic Research

   The Human Genome Project is the largest scientific endeavor undertaken since the Manhattan Project, and, as with the Manhattan Project, the completion of the Human Genome Project has brought to surface many moral and ethical issues concerning the use of the knowledge gained from the project. Although genetic tests for certain diseases have been available for 15 years (Ridley, 1999), the completion of the Human Genome Project will certainly lead to an exponential increase in the number of genetic tests available. Therefore, before genetic testing becomes a routine part of a visit to a doctor's office, the two main questions at the heart of the controversy surrounding genetic testing must be

DNA are like legos, they work together to build the traits of living things. They are the building blocks of the body. Many scientists today have been figuring out different ways to manipulate, change, add, and subtract genes from the DNA in living things; this is process is called genetic engineering. Some of the living things being experimented on are live people, plants, and animals. Today scientists are debating on the morals of genetic engineering due to what the community thinks of it, because of the christian 's viewpoint of genetic engineering. To some christians it may pose a threat to their, but to others it may be a blessing or a gift. Genetic Engineering is a growing breakthrough in the science community. “Over the last 30 years, the field of genetic engineering has developed rapidly due to the greater understanding of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as the chemical double helix code from which genes are made. The term genetic engineering is used to describe the process by which the genetic makeup of an organism can be altered using “recombinant DNA technology.” This involves the use of laboratory tools to insert, alter, or cut out pieces of DNA that contain one or more genes of interest.”(Pocket K No. 17) Scientist have yet to unlock the full potential of genetic engineering, but the information and the use they have found for it today has reached farther than anyone 's expectations.

It is patients’ right to opt for genetic testing on their own DNA, although they are accepting a great risk by doing so.

Genetic testing has brought about many changes in the way many couples look at conceiving and raising families. Through genetic testing you are able to screen for the increased chance that a fetus may have one of many congenital disorders, or even identify gene changes that are responsible for a disease that has already been diagnosed (Genetic Testing, March 2015). Unfortunately genetic testing is not always exact, in some cases giving parents false negatives or false positive results. Even if the results are accurate, there is the burden of knowledge once you know the results indicate a genetic abnormality such as Down’s syndrome. While caring for a 2 year old male patient with developmental delays and anotia, I learned that genetic testing had been started but never completed on the child. Genetic testing could help to identify genetic disorders that led to the child’s developmental delays and possible future disorders that may develop. The ethical dilemma I will be discussing to the ANA Ethical dilemma of the impact of informed consent of genetic testing on children for adult onset diseases and disorders.

Genetic testing has become a highly controversial issue among both the general population and the scientific community. It is a process that exposes a person’s entire genome sequence, allowing it to be read and evaluated to identify potential risks for genetic diseases or diseases that could be passed onto offspring (Holt Productions, 2012). With thousands of genetic tests already being used, and more being established, it seems logical to put this growing technology to use. Some agree that it is a person’s right to know and understand his or her genetic makeup. However, others argue that, despite the benefits of genetic testing, caution should be used to carefully inspect the risks associated with this new technology.

As a result of the funding for such testing, many believe the breakthrough for curing diseases is around the corner. The decision is whether or not America wants to take a step forward and progress their knowledge in medicine. Nobody agreed it would be easy, but as any other advancement in medicine, one must concur the future is near. Ultimately getting a specific drug tailored to your genetic sequence might be helpful to possibly eradicate and possibly cure deadly diseases and disorders. Within the past few years, many breakthroughs in medical advancements came through as some neurosurgeons complete brain surgeries while the patient is awake. Such testing poses crucial features to preventing things from going wrong. Similarly, being provided with the needed tools, one can hope the next step is toward cures for age-old monstrosities. Although not being enforced, many doctors are willing to refer their patients to get their genes tested. Next time a visit to the doctor’s office is scheduled, feel free to ask about a glimpse into what your future

This is just my opinion on what I would do about the issues relating genetic testing with the American Society of Human Genetics. If you have an immediate family member with a genetic disease or condition, you should have a blood screening test ran to possibly save you from getting the same

One of the questions that has recently plagued me has been that of which is about the genetic structuring of our offspring. I ask myself, will we able to choose the physical features our child? If so, do we as a society think this will be an ethical practice? Perhaps, scientifically, this might be entirely possible, but law will most likely restrict it. An article written by Frederic Golden helped me draw some understanding on this hot topic.

Technological developments are growing fast and individuals can not live without technology in the modern society. People all have their moral compass and ethical boundary which limit their behaviors. As technology is widely used, the connection between technology and ethics is getting inseparably associated. In the article “Ethics and the New Genetics” by Tenzin Gyatso, he mentions the genetic engineering field’s benefit and potential harms which lead people to consider the relationship between ethics and technology. He argues that technological development advances individuals’ lives and also pushes the envelope which leads people to shrink the ethical lines and is harmful to human societies. Thus, technology is the pivotal point of humans’ moral responsibilities.Although

For familial adenomatous polyposis, predictive genetic testing is generally offered to child 10 years old or older who had a family history of familial adenomatous polyposis; however, some people might opt to have the test at an even younger age. Caga-anan et al. stated that children with FAP can benefit from medical screening and preventive measures through predictive genetic testing (2012). Early detection of an APC mutation would change medical management of children. There had been reported cases where children develop polyps before the age of 10 (Jerkic et al., 2005). Crawford and Lucassen (2009) reported a case when a child was tested for a familial APC mutation at the age of 9 months. In this case, the main motivation for testing at the very young age was to enable better family planning. Depending on the carrier status in the first child the couple would make reproductive choices about further children, motivated by the feeling to have a duty to stop the predisposition from being transmitted to future generations. Kattentidt-Mouravieva et al. (2014) evaluated 13 children who were tested for FAP at the age younger than 10 years; 7 were mutation-carriers and 6 were non-carriers. Parents of these children were re-contacted and open-ended semi-structured interviewed. None of the contacted parents regretted

This could be illustrated in the Human Genome Project, which mapped all human genes in order to eventually understand the effect of each gene in human behaviour. Wallace (2004) claims that the Human Genome Project is perhaps not ethically neutral. Misuse of ethically sensible data was already seen in Nazi Germany and the eugenic policies in many modern societies with practices such as sterilization of individuals thought to be inferior. This should serve as a warning to modern geneticists. First of all genetic research is by nature correlational, which means that it is not possible to state a clear cause-effect relationship between genes and disorders like depression. Secondly, researchers are far from being able to determine the specific role of genes in psychiatric disorders.

Jim 's mother stared into her son 's eyes, grasping her husband 's hand tightly as the doctor delivered the life-changing news. All the mother wanted was for Jim to be normal, but as the doctor explained the boy’s condition, she began to fear he may not be normal after all. The son was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia, a genetic disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells. Without treatment, Jim would have a high chance of dying. However, Jim was given a second chance to achieve normality like his mother always wanted with the help of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, “the process of manually adding new DNA to an organism” (Lincoln 1),can be used to treat genetic disorders such as sickle cell Anemia, but there is a large percentage of people that say genetic engineering should not be researched for ethical reasons. Others ponder questions like, should we just sit back and let children like Jim die when there is a treatment out there that can allow them to lead fairly normal lives? Although there is great risk and danger involved with genetic engineering, the topic should be continued to be researched due to the facts it yields several advantages for humans, plants, and animals.

Modification of genetics could actually lengthen how long we live. Ethical and morally looking at it, some may not want that exactly. The resources that are available for this may be wasted and become a burden, God did not design humans to live forever. Drawing the line on some modifications will have to be placed.

Even when humans themselves are not being genetically modified there are still issues that arise when their genes are being taken to modify other crops and organisms. As more human genes are being used in non-human organisms to create new forms of life that are genetically partly human, new ethical questions arise. For instance, what percentage of human genes does an organism have to contain before it is considered human and how many human genes would a green pepper for example have to contain before it can be eaten without qualms. Human genes are now being inserted into tomatoes and peppers to make them grow faster. This suggests that one can now be a vegetarian and a cannibal at the same time. In addition to this people have the right to

Genetic engineering has to do with manipulating organisms and DNA to create body characteristics. The practice of genetic DNA has shown an increasing amount over the past years. The process of genetic enhancement involves manipulating organisms by using biotechnologies. The technique is by removing a DNA from one life form and transferring it to another set of traits or organism. Certain barriers are conquered, and the procedure involves changing a form of cells, resulting from an improvement or developed organism. GMO which is a (Genetic Modified Organisms) is the operation done in a laboratory where DNA genetic from one particular species or animals is directly forced into another gene from an unrelated subject of plants or even animals.