Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering Özge Kayisoglu Matriculation Number: 4020722 ozge.kayisoglu@biotec.tu-dresden.de 1. Introduction In today’s society, genetic engineering is an increasingly important issue. Many genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and the products of other GMO’s are currently used and consumed by humans, and research is continually conducted on ways to modify the genetic traits of organisms to better suit human lifestyles. As being a relatively new technique, genetic engineering fundamentally involves the transfer of genes from one organism to another. It is also described as the modification of genetic material by man that would otherwise be subject to the forces of nature only. (1) Each gene is identified …show more content…
Risks of Genetic Engineering Although the benefits of genetically modifying organisms may seem vast, it is important to consider the fact that this is a very new technique, and the risks involved are not fully understood. Since the reason behind genetic engineering is basically to improve the quality of human lives, it is important to discuss the potential adverse affects that genetic engineering may have on human beings. One risk associated with genetic engineering is that it is based on the idea that each trait of an organism is encoded in a single gene, and that the transfer of that specific gene will also cause the transfer of the favored property. However, genes cannot be regarded as separate entities. They are all related, and they are all influenced by many factors including the external environment. This means that even though a gene may be related to a specific characteristic in one organism, it may not produce the same trait in another species or even in another organism of the same species. Therefore, it is almost impossible to predict the effect that transferring a specific gene will have on the individual to which it is …show more content…
In other words, all actions should be good for all of humanity. (7) When discussing genetic engineering, there are two sides. First, the risks posed to human health and to the environment by genetic engineering are enough to say that it would benefit society as a whole to completely stop all research into the field. Society would be better if new diseases were not created, or if the environment’s natural processes were not disrupted in an irreversible manner. Furthermore, the potential changes could affect generations to come, and this is not fair to the future of
The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering also show that genetic engineering can lead to overpopulation and wars. First of all, in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., everyone is the same and they have strict laws. In Harrison Bergeron, people are made to be the same by putting weights on strong people, making beautiful people wear ugly masks, and hindering smart people’s thoughts. In Jonas’ community, there is Sameness, which is making everything the
As the penman predicted, the mankind is now in the process of putting on the analogous paradigm to the control of mother nature (Mazzoni). Literally speaking, people are now engineering nature. They try to create and produce new forms of life by making interventions on the microcosmic level. With genetic modification, people climb to a new, highest level of genetics. The cloning industry as well as genetic engineering are advancing so fast that it would only take a short time until people would feel the power and would misuse them on their own account (Schumacher).
For years, the health and safety of genetically modified foods have been debated and researched by scientists, but the question still stands: should genetically modified foods be allowed for consumption? The process of genetic modification involves inserting a gene from bacteria or a virus into an organism where it would normally not be found. The purpose is to alter the genetic code in plants and animals to make them more productive or resistant to pests or farming techniques. Genetically modified organisms, more commonly known as GMOs, have been a controversial topic of debate for a number of reasons. The ethics behind genetically modified foods come into question due to an abundance of short and long-term effects from the process, many of which are still unknown today.
Human genetic engineering, what was once considered a futuristic possibility and in the realm of science fiction (Evans 2010) is now becoming a mechanism to alter the genetic characteristics of an individual that will now be passed through the germ line, from one generation to the next. We are essentially changing the genetic makeup of the human species (Evans 2010). With IVF and HGE, is it morally correct to make radical genetic selections and changes that inevitably will influence the lives of future generations? Veatch, Haddad and English (2010) argue that this is the most fundamental issue that faces reproductive technologies, whether or not interfering with ‘the genetic and birth process is ‘playing God’’ in an unacceptable manner. They further state that the rapid developing reproductive technologies have the potential to change the nature of the human species and the process of reproduction (Veatch, Haddad and English, 2010), which can be considered to extend beyond what ‘humans should be permitted to do’.
Some of the endless amounts of possible benefits to Genetic Engineering such as genetically altering the traits of Humans and or Animals, another benefit is being able to produce resilient crops and heighten the crops yield, and also eliminating cancers/diseases or hereditary disorders; But on the other hand, Genetic Engineering can possibly lead “Playing God” to being able to create Humans ‘designer babies’ inevitably going against the morals
Fukuyama brings up topics that can be split into two categories: risks and benefits of genetic engineering along with the affordability of genetic engineering. Considering scientists aren’t entirely sure how genes work, they bring about several ills they wouldn’t be aware of, whether they be immediate ills or ills that show up much later (Fukuyama, 678). Genetic Engineering could have horrific effects on a population which could lead to the abandoning of genetic modification, just like in the way that hydroelectricity is no longer used as much because of the potential of dam breaks or environmental effects (Fukuyama, 680). There is also a possibility that only the rich will have access to this technology, so the state would possibly have to intervene to fix this inequality (Fukuyama, 680). Fukuyama concludes his writing by posing the fact that no matter what happens with genetic engineering, genetic engineering will change the course of human history on several levels, and on levels greater than that of any human biotechnology (Fukuyama, 681).
But the genetic engineering proposed by McMahan is only used to avoid the moral duty of not killing animals. Therefore, by Thompson’s principle, we may be indifferent to the practice in terms of morality. With respect to feasibility, we should notice that it is a quite radical form of genetic modification, which requires major biotechnological breakthrough and may have unpredictable consequences. By the precautionary principle, it is
This can lead to genetic defects, it limits genetic diversity, and it can be taken to very extreme levels. ` To start us off, genetically engineering a baby can be very unsafe for it and lead to genetic defects. Scientists don’t know everything about the human body yet, and because of this, if we end up modifying something, it could end up affecting something important that we didn’t know about. We also can’t predict the outcome of the modification yet. Scientists could be able to possibly knock out a disease out of our genetic code, but since we don’t
Gene defects are horrific, they are amongst the worst kinds of diseases that people have. Many children die of genetic defects. A few of them like mitochondrial diseases do not always kill people but they often have major effects on the central nervous system. They are deeply unpleasant, and there is no question that if we could avoid these diseases, if we could prevent them or treat them more effectively, we should do so. However, doing genetic modifications to “fix” an issue or trying to prevent one genetic disease, we are most likely to cause another genetic problem.
Editing of the human genome in the past has been only a sight seen in dystopia works such as Brave New World. Now, genetic enhancement is a prevalent today and people are beginning to realize the issues that can arise from creating these designer babies. Gene editing can be helpful to eradicate life changing disabilities. Yet, the term disability does not correctly label these differently abled people, as the idea of what is considered disabled has changed overtime. To fully understand the consequences and implications of genetic selection and enhancement of human embryos, society must mature and declare lines of what is and is not ethically moral.
This would cause stress in a large number of people's lives. With the spectacular advancements made in genetic manipulation techniques, it is now possible to manipulate the genome of a person to rectify the mutated gene through somatic gene therapy, which is ethically acceptable. Also, genetic interventions can be made to enhance a particular trait which may be socially good or bad [8]. However, care must be taken to prevent discrimination among people based on gender, wealth and
I am currently taking Genetics at ASU and I found the topic of human genetic engineering to be extremely fascinating. However, I did not have any understandings of the ethical issues surrounding the topic of genetically modified humans. This particular topic is very controversial because many individuals believe that the technical advances to genetically engineering humans will interfere the nature, cause substantial environmental damage, and modifying the genome is another way of playing God. Matter of a fact, a tremendous amount of countries either discourage or outright ban the practice. On the other hand, others believe that genetic engineering is one of the most moral things we can do for humans.
If it were successful, then there would be many benefits. However, there are also equally great drawbacks whether it succeeds, or not. Due to this, arguments for the development of genetically modified embryos face opponents arguing against it. First, to look at genetically modified embryos in a positive light, think about all the advantages it could bring. According to research done by National Geographic writer, John Harris, about 7.9 million children are born with genetic defects every year.(5)
Before this unit, I was skeptical about genetic technologies, as I was unsure if the resources, time and money put into the research and development of genetic technology worth the outcome. However, through research, I have realized that genetic technology is key to saving innumerable lives of patients with any kind of genetic disorders. This technology may be one of many cures for some, but may also be the only method of survival for some others. According to my research, eliminating all genetic disorders is believed to affect 146,000,000 - 219,000,000 people. I am certain that ensuring a safer and healthier life for this multitudinous number of patients will undoubtedly be one of the greatest decisions the society has made.
This essay will look more on the advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering has some advantages. Firstly it allows for faster growth rate .Genetic engineering allows of plants or animals to be modified so their maturity can occur at a quicker pace outside of the normal growth conditions that are favourable without genetic changes as well .Secondly, it may also provide a cure for disease to improve health (apecsecadmin, 2014). Genetic engineering can be used to eradicate a number of incurable and deadly disease which could be done by identifying the genes that cause these disease, and manipulate them to prevent people from contracting these potentially deadly diseases.