Genetic Engineering Is Not Ethical Analysis

Imagine a day when you can design your own kid before he or she becomes a fetus, by taking certain parts of your DNA and your partner's DNA and putting it together. Or making new organisms to meet specific needs, like transgenic microorganisms producing substances to fight cancer or other things that are helpful in the medical field. Some transgenic plants could someday make certain foods more nutritious and produce more seeds. This will all be possible from the help of experiments like Hershey and Chase’s experiment in 1952 concluding that the genetic material of the bacteriophage is DNA. Bacteriophage is a virus that injects genetic information into the surface of the cell. We also had help from Watson and Crick's findings that DNA looks like a double helix. With

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.

“We can change animals faster and in more profound ways than nature does on its own, but the point is that there’s inherently sacred about a species genome- it’s an amorphous, ever changing thing.”(Anthes, 48) One of the biggest controversies of biotechnology is that people are getting God-like powers seems how now scientists are able to engineer new traits into animals. Is that wrong? Morally, maybe. The fact of the matter is whether it’s immoral or not, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years, but now just faster and actually more efficiently. Scientists don’t plan on worsening animals or abusing them. “If you’re going to modify a line of animals, the resultant animals should be no worse off from a welfare point of view – and preferably better.”(Bernard Rollin) If nations eventually accept biotechnology more openly, and simply apply regulations stating that one cannot produce an organism that is not better off than it was before. That would ensure the protection of animals from unnecessary handicapped lives, and then the FDA would be more comfortable with allowing these biotechnological advances to be released to the

The genetic engineering used for genetically modifying embryos and the thought of genetically modifying embryos is a technology that has caused an unethical dilemma within today’s society. This genetic technology comes at a risk, however, the most common way to genetically modify a human embryo, let alone anything living is known as CRISPR Cas9. This tool uses the enzyme Cas9 to cleave onto DNA to cut it, however according to Alex J. Maben a journalist who wrote an article on the flaws of this technology states “’The Cas9 enzyme that CRISPR uses to cleave DNA… could also make cuts where it’s not intended to, potentially causing cancer’(Kaiser, para5). Also, once CRISPR is in the body, it stays in the body” (Maben). This is an ethical dilemma because as stated above the CRISPR tool can cause cuts to

In society, newly introduced ideas and morals are viewed upon with mixed feelings, including the process of genetic modification, which has yet to prosper or to crumple. The topic of genetic modification is introduced and detailed upon within the articles “Expert Groups Says Embryo Genetic Modification Should Be Allowed” by Will Dunham and “UK Scientists Seek Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos” by Ian Sample. They delve upon the idea that the process of genetic modification can be appropriately used in which to prevent certain unnecessary and unwanted diseases from developing, ultimately saving lives, and can provide further insight for human development. Additionally, they discuss the point that genetic modification is still at

What I personally have always had an interest in but have never been able to recover solid answers on, is whether or not human genetic testing can be considered ethical, and what biomedical ethics should guide medical, specifically reproductive technologies.

Fast forwards two hundred years and the science (or lack thereof) depicted is almost indistinguishable, a revolutionary new process called CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is allowing science to edit the human genome almost at will. With the announcement of US scientists creating the first genetically modified embryo, an outburst of ethical debate has arisen. While they are certainly not the first (a Chinese division won the achievement in 2015), this achievement was created through the CRISPR process.

Genetic engineering has been the subject of controversy since it first started. There is a lot of fear and concern surrounding the possibilities it presents. It is difficult to make ethical decisions about genetic engineering because if offers opportunities to solve many genetic problems such as hereditary diseases. The consequences are positive and negative, but there is no way to determine which will have a greater impact. Genetic engineering could lead to new treatments for hereditary diseases, but it could also have long-term adverse effects. Although there are benefits to genetic engineering, the negative side cannot be overlooked.

Genetic engineering is the figurehead of the ethical concerns of scientists in the 21st century. Nothing is more engrossed with criticism and dislike than the idea of altering the baseline for living organisms. Many people are skeptical of genetic engineering due to the versatility it exhibits. A scientist could use a genetic editing tool, such as CRISPR, to remove the genes for a hereditary disease in an embryo, but they could also utilize it to alter the physical characteristics of a human baby. This thought provoked the flood gates of ethics to unleash a multitude of unanswered questions and concerns about the usage and further development of genetic engineering. The field of genetic engineering is

Genetically modifying the human genome is a topic that has been discussed for several decades, but just recently it is becoming a reality. Through many advancements of technology, the CRISPR method has emerged, and it is providing the opportunity for genetically modifying the human genome to take off. However, allowing the use of the CRISPR method is not just a black and white decision. Modifying the human genome is a hot debate in the science and medical fields todays. Arguments in support of modifying the human genome including the following; offers the opportunity to cure genetic diseases, improves the value of life, it is similar to any other intrusive medical therapy, and it provides beneficence. Nevertheless, although we have this type of technology at our fingertips, there are many concerns with editing the human genome. Some of the concerns include the following; the potential safety issues, the unknown consequences that may evolve from a procedure of this kind, sacrificing human dignity, and finally nonmaleficence. There are arguments in support of modifying the human genome to cure genetic diseases, and there are arguments in opposition of modifying the human genome to cure genetic diseases because of the ethicality of the procedure.

In the recent years there has been a new technology created, called CRISPR-Cas, that allows for gene-editing in germline cells to potentially treat or prevent genetic diseases and conditions. There has already been uses of this technology in clinical trials to edit immune cells that treat cancer. While this sounds like something that would be a fantastic idea it is very controversial and raises concerns of whether it is ethical or not. As of right now, we should be able to edit our cells, but only somatic cell and not our germ line cells.

The author, Joel Achenbach from The Washington Post, wrote about the ethicists caution in applying CRISPR to gene editing in humans. He examines the arguments that the ethicists are concerned about. Some of which are, to prevent the cosmetic enhancements that would lead to permanent genetic changes in the human species, not crossing the thin line of playing God, and having heavy restrictions on this technique. The next steps are to continue with caution and to come up with a list of rules and regulations for this new technique. In my research paper this article will help me discuss the pros and cons and how we should go about this new technology.

Ethical questions have been raised in regard to the development of the new drug CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR-Cas9 is a form of genetic engineering that allows for precise modification of DNA. CRISPR-Cas9 works by injecting a modified protein into the body to work on DNA like scissors by snipping the unwanted section of genes. CRISPR-Cas9 creates enormous possibilities for genetic modification, and the advancement of human health. The creation of new technology creates new benefits; however, it also presents significant risk. The use of such drug raises ethical questions such as who will have access to treatment and who will it be developed for. Further ethical questions are raised when considering not only how the modification of genes will affect

In genetic engineering, DNA is producing new types of organisms by being manipulated and either inserting or removing genes. Likewise, the modification of genes has been around since 12,000 BC. In 1972 the first DNA transfer from an organism to another was successfully executed by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen. Moreover, there are three types of genetic engineering. The first is germline which adds genes to human eggs and sperm. Next is somatic which adds genes to body cells. Last but not least is cloning which creates a copy of an organism. Genetic engineering is not beneficial to humans because it could cause problems for the environment, it is unethical, and it could reduce genetic diversity.

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.