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The Genome Project-Write's Ethical Dilemmas

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Already, the editing of human DNA is possible. Technologies like Crispr, which allow scientists to copy and paste parts of one strand of DNA onto another, have become cheap and commonplace. This has allowed for numerous advances in medicine, including the development of life saving drugs. Now, scientists are creating technology that could use entirely synthesized rather than copied DNA for editing. The Genome Project-Write (GP-Write) is currently working on synthesizing the DNA of humans. Within the next few years, the initiative plans to have synthesized all genes in the human genome. This would allow large rewritings of DNA, thereby opening possibilities for treating and preventing disease as well as creating cells and organs.
While saving lives is an attractive prospect, several ethical objections have been raised. Firstly, it may be wrong to make major changes to human DNA at all, as it alters the innate nature of humanity. Secondly, the technology has the potential to be used for other, controversial purposes, such as manufacturing humans or enhancing traits. These ethical concerns must be weighed against the benefits of developing this …show more content…

It assumes an inherent goodness in the natural state of humanity and that altering this state would therefore be morally wrong. However, we already accept some unnatural alterations. Crispr, for example, performs a similar change to that of GP-Write’s technology, just to a lesser degree and with less freedom. To claim that Crispr is morally permissible but that synthesizing DNA is not would require some sort of line to be drawn between a drastic and minor interference with nature. There doesn’t seem to be a clear distinction between the two. It’s difficult to argue that not interfering with nature could be more moral than saving a person’s life with DNA editing depending on an arbitrary line between minor and drastic

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