The Ethics Of Genetic Engineering Essay

Genetic engineering is currently the fastest growing and perhaps most controversial field of science. Genetic engineering is decoding and manipulating DNA to use for scientific and medical purposes. "The discovery that human cells can be grown in a petri dish has opened up breathtaking possibilities for curing disease - and a morass of ethical complications" (Allen 9).

While manipulating the genetic structure of plants and animals has led to an increase in obesity, pollution, and long-term health problems in humans, it has benefited the human population overall in that it has decreased the cost of food, improved the efficiency of civilization, and has solved the problem of hunger in areas of the world where agricultural genetic modification has been implemented. At this moment in time, it can be contended that Mill would have agreed that the costs of genetic engineering have outweighed the benefits to society. Genetic engineering has produced the most overall utility for civilization, even though it may have produced less utility for some individuals who suffer from some of its adverse effects. Accordingly, these adverse effects will likely decrease over time as scientific discoveries continue.

Another fear with genetic engineering is the idea of eugenics. Eugenics is the concept of creating the perfect human with the most desirable traits. The opposition would ask the question of what is considered “good” or “bad” traits. The fear is that it would create a discrimination between genetically made humans and naturally made humans. I believe the argument does not put into account that each individual has their own beliefs on what makes a good or bad trait.

After reading the positive effect that genetic engineering has on society, we need to consider the bad side of this reality.

Nowadays, genetic engineering is a controversial issue; it has been a topic in many ethical debates and there is not a clear agreement. In the following paragraphs I am going to presents the pros and cons of this field.

Modern society is on the verge of a biotechnological revolution: the foods we eat no longer serve simply to feed us, but to feed entire nations, to withstand natural disasters, and to deliver preventative vaccination. Much of this technology exists due to the rapid development of genetic modification, and today’s genetically modified crops are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Says Robert T. Fraley, chief technology officer for biotech giant Monsanto, “It’s like computers in the 1960s. We are just at the beginning of the explosion of technology we are going to see." Biotechnology’s discontents are numerous and furious, declaring the efforts of corporations of Monsanto to be dangerous and morally reprehensible. Inherent within the

In an ever-expanding world of technological and scientific innovations in science and medicine, Genetic Engineering is a black sheep among its peers. Genetic Engineering is a highly debatable science with some countries outlawing its research in some of its three major subcategories of plants, organisms and humans. As a member of society it’s a critical responsibility that one understands what effects Genetic Engineering in the three subcategories could have on society, the laws that restrict and permit Genetic Engineering in the subcategories around the world, the moral and ethical responsibilities as a human being, the rights of the people that, Genetic Engineering in the subcategories ,could help enhance their way of life and our right to choose.

Genetically Modified Organisms is a relatively new trend, promoting fast growth with the goal of earning fast profits with less production time and costs. The effects of these Genetically Modified Organisms have been implied by scientists to be safe. However, the long term effects on the body, community, and environment is allusive and unknown as there have not been studies to fully assess possible effects.

Science is moving forward at an increasing rate every day. Just in the past decade, there have been numerous new discoveries in astronomy, chemistry, geology, paleontology, and many more scientific fields. However, some of the fastest growing subjects are in the field of biological sciences, more specifically genetics. Over the past twenty years a new genetic science known as genetic engineering has come to prominence. Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genome using biotechnology, including a human’s genome. As a result, scientists have begun to experiment with altering human traits, known as “designer babies.” In response, many issues have arisen culturally, as perspectives argue whether or not the application

Today, genetic engineering can grow replacement body parts and can now genetically modify human beings while still in the womb . Scientists can even help you choose the gender of the baby , including eye color , hair color and other things also which cost an extreme amount of money .Due to it being a large amount of money large amount of couples who can’t have children of their own due to the mother go to Africa to get the treatment for another woman to have their child for a lower sum of money . The risk is that the procedure does not work or endangers the mother's lives because of a person who didn’t know anything. People take risks to spend less money which causes a huge risk to themselves and their child.Genetic engineering is an effective way to produce food like to keep pest off the product , grew larger , sweeter and whatever you can think of , but not to genetically modify human beings for outward appearance other than helping with diseases.Parents of the new generation have started to spend a large sum of money to change the characteristics of their child in the way they prefer it to be which isn’t listening to the child’s right . Historically , society hasn’t always agreed with the idea of genetic engineering because of science vs. religion and the unnatural order of things when changed .Other than the religion reason it’s the constant thought in the back of our heads about what could go wrong ? In a sense, man has practiced primitive genetic engineering ever since animals and plants were first domesticated through selective breeding and adaptation (Prentice.A David , 66). Paul Berg is commonly known as the “Father of Genetic Engineering “ first genetically modified DNA from two different organisms and started showing results in engineering overcoming the obstacle scientists had before. The organisms were viruses from monkeys and modified them together creating something new .Another person who helped the genetic engineering was Francis Crick when he first proposed the frozen accident theory of the genetic code (Xiao Lin,1). Frozen accident theory is

“With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of DNA, and improve the human race.” - Stephen Hawking. Genetic engineering is the genetic modification of an organism’s phenotype, also known as an organism’s genetic makeup. Genetic engineering can have its advantages and disadvantages, but I believe there are more advantages than disadvantages. There are a number of benefits that we can only discover if scientists consider to study and advance this particular branch of study. Genetic engineering can be great in many ways, but it should not be overused and should be used in moderation. Gene therapy should be used only for the treatment of serious disease. It cannot and never

Genetic engineering holds the potential to allow humanity to solve countless problems in both our environment and within ourselves. Humans have been practicing one for of genetic engineering or another since prehistoric times and as technology as developed, we have increased our ability to make more targeted modifications. All of this potential isn’t without hidden dangers as the effects of our genetic manipulation of nature have yet to be fully realized and may never be. Should we continue on our course of exploration and discovery in the field of genetics? Should governments tightly restrict or outright prohibit any attempts at manipulating life on this planet? Maybe some balance of both? While there will always be risks involved in any procedure that involves the manipulation of an organism’s genome, the potential benefits have almost limitless possibilities. Governments should allow experimentation in genetic engineering for the betterment of mankind while also maintaining oversight to ensure potentially deadly consequences can be mitigated.

For thousands of years, humanity has selectively bred plants and animals to produce the most favourable results from the fruitful species around us. It has only been a very recent event in our history, however, that we have invented a systematic procedure to ensure the best results in these species. This procedure is called genetic engineering, and has sparked multiple debates among both academics and the public about the ethics behind controlling the outcome of a species. Among all the altercation regarding this relatively new technology, no other topic has brought about more controversy than the use of genetic engineering in humans. Proponents of genetic engineering envision a future where disease, crime, suffering, and infertility have been eliminated - replaced by an enhanced human race better suited to our environment. Opponents fear a nightmarish world where biodiversity and the human genome have been corrupted through

It is difficult to imagine a world without technology. Technology is evolving at a rapid rate each and every day and because of this, we can develop whatever comes to mind. For example, we have the potential to create a glow in the dark cat, or to even develop a venomous cabbage. Whatever the task, the possibilities are endless. Genetic engineering could lead us into a future in which gene manipulation is the everyday norm. As of now, genetic engineering allows us to manipulate crops, animals, and even humans to acquire any trait that we wish it to obtain. We are able to manipulate these organisms by manually adding new DNA to that specific organism. This DNA will provide that organism with new traits that it previously did not possess. The art of learning through genetic engineering may seem like it is a largely positive type of science, however, it certainly has not come without its’ criticisms. Altering animals, crops, plants, as well as humans is a highly controversial ethical issue. There are many positive aspects to genetic engineering such as the ability to help prevent and treat diseases. However, are the potential consequences involved worth the risks? Who is being harmed because of this practice? Questions like these have no definite answer; however by the end of this essay, we will be able to draw a conclusion as to whether not genetic engineering should be considered a moral procedure.

Throughout human history, we have selectively bred plants and animals to produce favorable outcomes. For example, grey wolfs have been selectively bred for thousands of years to create most of the household dogs we have today. With genetic engineering, we are able to achieve the same result by editing a strand of DNA rather than thousands of years of selective breeding. Genetic engineering provides many benefits and offers a solution to many of the world’s major problems. However, some people view genetic engineering as, “playing god”, and believe that Genetically Modified Organisms can pose health risks despite any evidence. Genetic engineering should be pursued because it produces better medicine, creates modified plants that grow more nutritious and numerous crops, and allows children to receive genes that reduces risks of them having mental illness or other problems through genetic determinism.