The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering

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

Nowadays with the advancement of genetic technology, there seems to be a term designer baby. An article written with combined different sources tells the advantages and disadvantages of designing babies using genetic engineering used on embryos. It asks us the ethical question as to whether the parent have the right reason to modify or just for the show of it. There seems to be greater risk to the embryo if it is not handled carefully; furthermore, the technology is only in the experimental stages. Another major concerns is that the technology creating a gap in our human society. Another major concern is the effect the change in genetic of child would have in terms of himself because we will not know the impact until the child is grown, and what could happen to his family tree. Even though the technology is advanced, there are still problems with targeting specific genes in the human; with that comes major risk to the child, and the human society. Another thing concerning society is that, not everyone would be able to afford the procedure, so in term it we will have two different social class. Although there seems to be many

On the other hand, the other form of genetic engineering, gene enhancement is the idea of improving average typical genes to be above average. Therapeutic treatment is acceptable, if parents can prevent their child from having a serious or fatal disease, they should be able to pay for genetic treatment if they can afford to do so. However, I completely disagree with the process of genetic enhancement; a parent should not be able to alter their child’s genes from typical or average to above average. If humans even consider gene enhancement for their children, they should revise what is morally and ethically right and wrong. The thought of parents one day being able to enhance or perfect the genes of their expected child is by all means wrong. Children should not be born into a world where their ultimate choices have been made by their parents before the moment of their birth. Children’s genes should be left untouched unless there is something terribly wrong, such as a sickness or disease.

Bioethics is a relational field of science that deals with the intersection of biological scientific practices and ethical concerns raised by these procedures. Genetic engineering is a relatively new scientific practice and is greatly concerned with the field of bioethics, as it raises many worries revolving around the blurred moral lines of manipulating a person’s genome.This method of engineering the human genome originated from the idea that cancers and other terminal diseases could be cured by essentially switching off harmful genes that could code for these ailments. Moreover, the origin of moral and even financial concerns with genetic engineering can be traced to the potential marketing of gene manipulation as a commercial product where parents can choose what genes to alter in their unborn child, in an order to produce a super baby. Finally, a great deal of research, as well as ethical protests, have been put into potentially altering a person’s lifespan to yield humans who exhibit the ability to live much longer lives than currently possible. Genetic engineering is a dangerous and morally wrong scientific procedure that if pursued will bring harm to the general population and destroy the ethical boundaries of science within bioethics and scientific research.

In the feature broadcast “Genetically Engineering Almost Anything,” the editors, Eleanor Nelson and Tim De Chant, reveal their opinion on genetically engineering genetics in mosquitoes containing Malaria. According to the broadcast, Malaria kills an average of two-hundred thousand humans and sickens over two million people per year. Editors indicate that Africa is the most affected by the disease. The broadcast claims that mosquitos have been studied since the late 1970’s, however, it wasn’t until the 1990’s that there were technological advances in the research of genetic engineered insects. While Mosquitoes are becoming resistant, Evolutionary Biologist are attempting to modify genetics in mosquitoes that contain Malaria,

Genetic engineering has constantly been a major point of focus in the world of science over several years. From 1989 to present day, many people have questioned not only the process, but the motives behind genetic engineering. Over the years, the term “designer baby” has made the transition from movie screens to dictionaries, where it is defined as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.” “Designer baby” is the very term feared by many people for so many years; it’s controversial, it’s unethical, it’s destructive, it’s immoral. Many ideas related to this subject are constantly being challenged.

What if it was possible to prevent certain lifelong diseases such as Huntington’s and even diabetes in the next generation? As medicine advances in the 21st century a very controversial topic, that is believed to do so is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is considered anything where genetic material is modified in order to change its characteristics. This has been around for a long time, but prior to recent decades, most controversies over this topic was aimed towards crops rather than humans. However, now, with modern medicine, procedures such as in vitro fertilization have become the center of an ethical engineering worldwide debate. Many people struggle with the ethicality of genetically engineering people; however, what genetic engineering is

One example of an inheritable genetic disease is known as Tay-Sachs (Center for Genetics and Society, 2006). Tay-Sachs is a rare genetic disease, which is known to progressively destroy the brain and spinal cord neurons and cause severe health problems to children such as seizure, muscle weakness, and speech impediments. Tay-Sachs is only spread through genetic inheritance. Most children with this disease don’t live long past the age of four (Genetics Home Reference, 2016). There are many other genetic diseases very similar to Tay-Sachs, which can cause similar and intense damage to those who inherit the disease from their parents. This can lead to permanent disabilities, or in the most severe cases, even death. Yet with human DNA modification, there is the possibility that these fatal genetic diseases can be reduced in severity or even prevented entirely. According to Sarah Knapton, science editor, if this method of treatment can aid in the prevention of genetic disease, similar inherited disorders and gene mutations can be treated through the same method (Knapton, 2015). In our world today, such DNA modifications can prolong lives and can allow parents with defective genes to have a healthy baby without the defective trait.(California Academy of Sciences, 2015). This could further result in lowered medical bills for the

Genetic engineering is the process whereby new DNA is added or existing DNA is altered in an organism 's genome. This may involve changing one base pair (A-T or C-G) or deleting entire sections of DNA or adding additional copies of a gene. This results in creating new traits that were not previously present in the organism’s genome. This is done to selectively breed desired traits or to create plants with increased resistance to pesticides and increased tolerance to herbicides. For example insulin is a protein that regulates sugar content in our blood and is produced normally in the pancreas. Genetic engineering is used to produce a form of insulin that is similar to yeast and bacterial cells. This genetically engineered insulin is called

Thirteen years have passed since the human genome has been decoded. From then on, we knew exactly what makes us human: a string of code telling our cells what to do. Unsurprisingly, the public’s imagination had never been so zealous in discerning what a single biological discovery meant for the future of humanity. Thirteen years ago, news sources buzzed with hot-topic articles warning us of designer babies and man-made crops. Based on the frantic journalistic climate of the time, one might think us normal people would soon be replaced by post-humans. To find crude evidence for the decade’s excitement (or disdain) for the upcoming human genetics revolution, one needs only check google search trends for words like ‘genetic enhancement’ or ‘designer baby.’ Interest peaks around 2003, the year of the human genome project’s conclusion (figure 1). Today, many are not interested in current genetic events. Despite the public’s dwindling interest in the human genome, the scientific community a been working along with increasing fervor.

Genetic engineering has become a rapidly discussed topic after many scientific breakthroughs in the subject. However, should the option of genetic engineering be given to parents who are expecting a child? Oxford professor Julian Savulescu claims that genetic engineering our offspring may lead to making them to being better people, and at that point it is simply “responsible parenting”. This claim, and many others made by Savulescu are simply ignorant to the many factors involved in genetic engineering and focus on the positive rather than the overall view of the subject.

Is there really a perfect human race? Some people think there could be with the help of human engineering. There is a notion that genetic engineering is the solution to all human defects, and that it is the perfect resolution to parents being able to have the perfect families that they have always wanted. This sounds amazing! Although genetic engineering sounds fantastic there are many downsides, not only morally but potentially health wise also. This practice is risky because there could be horrendous side effects that come with the treatment when it is used on embryos. It is almost unacceptable morally, it violates specific human rights of the human embryos, it allows people to play God, it creates an illusion of perfection within families, it could create a large social divide, and it shows how shallow humans are. Genetic engineering might not be all it is cracked up to be.

The term “designer baby” is defined as an embryo that’s genes been modified with the intent of the DNA resulting in specific characteristics. A procedure or option for genetically modifying an unborn child should be legal. It is a controversial topic due to the two sides in which modification can result in; the medical purpose and the cosmetic purpose. While the public strongly agrees with the ethical and medical purposes, it is apparent not may agree with the cosmetic idea (Franklin & Roberts, An Ethnography of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis).

Humans are evidently unique and not perfect. Imagine if you had the ability to create an ideal human. That being said, a portion of the population feels that they should have the authority and privilege to genetically engineer their offspring. If you had the privilege, would you want to create your dream child? Genetic engineering is the alteration of the genetic makeup of an organism. This can be done through either removing or adding DNA. In other words, altering the genetic makeup of an individual in order to create the “perfect” human. Through the direct manipulation of a human’s genome in biotechnology, people can produce improved organisms. However, this idea brings up a debate that considers this process ethically, socially, and scientifically.

Genetic engineering is one of the most controversial areas of science. It is the process of changing an organism's (bacteria, plants, animals etc) genetic code to either stop otherwise permanent diseases or to give individual beneficial traits or characteristics.  Many people believe that it is unethical to alter the genes of a human being, however,I feel that it may be one of the greatest advances of the human race that have been put on hold because of public outcry due to a lack of knowledge on the subject.