There are also many disadvantages to genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is new and while performing gene therapy and altering people’s genes with genetic engineering and CRISPR there can be many complications that could lead to destructive results that may be irreversible. There are also many ethical and moral issues that are related to modifying human genes and genetically designing your child as this can hamper the genetic diversity in humans if all the defective genes were replaced by functional genes. In such a scenario, all humans will have a similar genetic makeup, and therefore, a new and unknown virus or a disease may affect a large portion of the human
Science has enabled us to thrive in a world where change is a must if an organism wishes to live. It has allowed for us to bend and twist the world at our feet, even having enough strength to repel the touch of death. Genetic engineering is the next scientific advancement that will stand close in the near future. It has the capability of modifying the food production process, elimination of diseases and disorders, and the guarantation of the best traits in an organism. Food production has been a matter that has been disputed for years now because of the things that have been added to crops.
Lareina Chen Mr. Hayward 9A January 11th, 2017 Genetic Engineering Essay Genetic engineering is a powerful and dangerous technology. Sometimes called genetic modification, genetic engineering is the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome. Editing the sequence of nucleotides can sometimes lead to extreme harmful effects on the human race, while on the other hand generates huge benefits for society. While talking about Genetic engineering, it is carried out by CRISPR. CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” It can quickly twist most of the genes in any plant or animal.
There are also many concerns drawn toward the uncertainty of gene therapy, especially when looking at previous deaths in result of gene therapy. Many think it is not morally acceptable to be testing on human beings when there is so much risk involved. It is also stressed that ‘gene therapy could possibly manipulate gens to genetically control traits in human offspring that are not health related (encyclopedia.com).’ To many, genetic modification or manipulation of genes is not morally or ethnically acceptable and therefore should not be done at all. Even though this procedure could save a life or help someone stretch their life span, people think it is unacceptable to play with the ‘body’ we were given. As gene therapy progresses we can see that it has many benefits and the future of gene therapy does look promising.
Genetic engineering is the alteration of genetic material in living things with the aim of producing new substances or creating new functions (Lerner). In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley explores possible outcomes of extreme genetic engineering. He predicts a world, The World State, where everything about a person is determined in a flask. However, Huxley only allows for a very limited view of the opportunities that accompany genetic engineering; Huxley fails to realize how much mankind can be elevated by the simple manipulation of genes. Genetic engineering would allow for an elevation of the human race, through predetermining an individual’s characteristics.
They also state that they can guarantee the outcome will be a complete success because if one small thing goes wrong, the embryo can be accidentally terminated. Also the technology isn’t 100% safe yet as it’s only in the experimental stage still. Therefore I don’t think we should be allowed to genetically modify our children because there’s a greater possibility of accidentally “killing” the offspring than having them as the parents mix of their own
Firstly, eugenics violates humanity and kills human diversity. Eugenics allow the engineering of the genetic material of a fetus to prevent negative heredity thus the health condition of the child can be improved. Yet, some scientists use eugenics as a tool try to change the genetic makeup, for instance, the skin color, IQ, blood type etc. in order to create a better person and fulfill the need of the society. Once the fetus was checked illness or disable, it was then immediately killed.
Many also feel that patenting genes is unreasonable, as these patents can cause patients to seek extremely high priced, market dominating medications which are produced by the patent holder. A solution to the current problems in genetic technology may include a ban on patenting genes. When relating to the problems in the ethics of genetic technology, a viable solution may be to have research done in contained laboratories, with no patient genes being left behind. Also, genetic lookup should not occur without a patient consent. To allow patients to feel confident in using genetic technology without worrying about identity theft, all doctors using genetic technologies must be certified by the government before practicing on patients.
Genetic screening has both benefits and disadvantages, and therefore the decision to become tested is extremely difficult. Primarily, genetic screening would be beneficial because it would allow my wife and me to take preventative measures for our children. If my doctor offered me a genetic screening, I would certainly allow him to conduct the test, and
Cloning and genetic engineering are marvels of modern science. Not only can we design and build machines, now we can design and grow living beings that have traits we choose before conception. I have always been curious when I hear about animals being cloned, patients having gene therapy treatment, having an organ or body part grown to replace a damaged one, and many other ways that science is using cloning and genetic engineering. It amazes me every time I hear about these because we are getting close to knowing most of what there is to living beings. One of the things I did not know was how scientists create an embryo out of one organism with the exact same DNA.