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What are ethical implications of gene therapy
Is gene engineering ethical
Gene therapy ethical debate
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I am going to explore the extent to which gene editing should advance to; and how gene editing could possibly provide an alternative meaning to life for those inflicted with almost incurable diseases.
Abstract
Within the modern day, technological advances have definitely improved from what they used to be, especially in fields such as medicine. Gene editing is one of the latest advances that shows some promise in regards to what it does. These medical advances are quite beneficial to those who have medical conditions that are due to faulty genetics, as they provide a better quality of life. The scientific possibilities would be countless and the benefits would definitely outweigh any drawbacks, in situations like these such as being able to
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Genetic editing of the DNA code is strictly forbidden and is illegal in the majority of countries. However, there are a few countries who still need to clarify their laws about modifying embryos, when there is nothing medically wrong with them (Araki and Ishii, 2014). The situation for embryos with underlying medical conditions needs addressing by not only the scientific community, but by the public as well. Ethically, the quality of human life could outweigh some of the objections, as the arguments are two sided. Opinions are divided between favouring the quality of life with a small regard to moral objections and favouring moral objections over the quality of …show more content…
The amount of observation children would have to undergo would vary over a continued timespan of possibly their entire lives. This questions the quality of their life. Simply following each individual to ensure no mutations have occurred and there are no detrimental impacts on their health will require a lot of time, effort and resources. This would result in their quality of life being severely interrupted, which could possibly affect many generations to come. In order to ensure that the process has been carried out faultlessly and that there are no adverse health issues, this would have to be done to prevent any risks for future
After the discovery of genetically altering an embryo before implantation, “designer babies” was coined to describe a child genetically altered “to ensure specific intellectual and cosmetic characteristics.” (“Designer Babies” n.p.). This procedure combines genetic engineering and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to make sure certain characteristics are absent or present in an embryo (Thadani n.p.). The procedure also includes taking an embryo to be pre-implementation genetically diagnosed (PGD), another procedure that doctors use to screen the embryos (Stock n.p.). An embryo’s DNA goes through multiple tests to obtain an analysis of the embryo, which will list all the components of the embryo including genetic disorders and physical traits such as Down syndrome, blue eyes, and brown hair, for instance (Smith 7). Although the use of PGD is widely accepted by the “reproductive medical community” and the modifying of disorders or diseases is to a degree, once the characteristics are no longer health related “72% disapprove of the procedure” (“Designer Babies” n.p.). At this point the parents make decisions that would alter their child’s life forever and this decision is rather controversial in the U...
Opposing Viewpoints offers unbiased opinions on the future of embryonic research as well as how they have currently been used to cure many diseases. In addition, the article specifies how developing ethical standards to ensure that the use of embryos remains moral, allows for science to remain ethical. Many of the topics mentioned in this viewpoint consider bioethics and remain consistent throughout. Essentially, the purpose of this article was to establish a middle ground between ethics and science.
In the modern world humans have been able to design and create nearly anything, most to aid us in our daily lives and improve our standard of living. It is only inevitable that eventually humans would take our superior knowledge and skill to manipulate life itself and change our genome to produce a healthier and even more superior human standard of life. In recent years discussion about gene therapy has changed into a promising possibility to treat many of our common human diseases and disorders. Although gene therapy might be the answer to many problems, it has been met with a number of logistical and ethical hardships. With the prospect of being a treatment for inherited genetic disorders, cancers, and viral infections, gene therapy seems like the logical fix-it-all bandage that many people would benefit from.
At one point in time, if someone was infertile then they couldn’t have kids. There was nothing that could be done. Not anymore. Now doctors can provide them another option called in vitro fertilization. Not only that but biomedical engineers have advanced this field to even greater extents. They can use gene manipulation to prevent certain genetic diseases such as asthma, muscular dystrophy and even greatly reduce the chances of disease rampant in the family history, such as breast cancer. One of these ways is the "three parent" idea. Reproductive surgeons will use the mother’s egg, but replace the mitochondria that contains the disease with second healthy mitochondria from a different mother resulting in three parents total. Contributing to the genetics of the offspring, scientists are projecting a new possibility: designer babies. These would be completely "customized" children. Manipulation of eye color, hair color, facial structure, height, size, numerous other changes are all possibilities. This is a modern field of medicine covering new ground. However these designer babies present major ethical issues. People feel scientists are taking full control of nature and lines are being crossed that shouldn't be. For example a scientist wanted her kid to look like her, therefore she implanted an embryo into herself and had a blonde hair blue eyed baby, just as she wanted, but should be genetically impossible. This research in designing a baby should be regulated; it is ideal for preventing devastating diseases that will worsen a human’s future life but completely controlling a baby's appearance and possibly their personality, though possible, should be illegal in the United States.
One of the most necessary uses of genetic engineering is tackling diseases. As listed above, some of the deadliest diseases in the world that have yet to be conquered could ultimately be wiped out by the use of genetic engineering. Because there are a great deal of genetic mutations people suffer from it is impractical that we will ever be able to get rid of them unless we involve genetic engineering in future generations (pros and cons of genetic eng). The negative aspect to this is the possible chain reaction that can occur from gene alteration. While altering a gene to do one thing, like cure a disease, there is no way of knowing if a different reaction will occur at the cellular or genetic level because of it; causing another problem, possibly worse than the disease they started off with (5 pros and cons of gen. eng.). This technology has such a wide range of unknown, it is simply not safe for society to be condoning to. As well as safety concerns, this can also cause emotional trauma to people putting their hopes into genetic engineering curing their loved ones, when there is a possibility it could result in more damage in the
Germline editing is a pretty hot topic in the world of genetics right now. Many scientists are involved in the debate over whether or not this technology should be researched in greater depth. Germline editing is a form of genetic engineering which allows scientists to alter the DNA of an embryo, egg, or sperm to correct diseased genes and pass those corrections onto future generations. (Regalado, 2015) This sounds great, but it doesn’t come without some cons. While many are excited about the prospect of further research, there are others who are wary of what it may mean ethically. In this study, I will investigate the opposing viewpoints of these two parties in order to develop a fuller understanding of the cause of the conflict between
"The aim is to decrease the fear of a brave new world and to encourage people to be more proactive about their health. It [Gene therapy] will help humans become better physically and even mentally and extend human life. It is the future” (Hulbert). Dr. Hulbert, a genetic engineer, couldn’t be anymore right; more time, money, and research needs to be put into gene therapy and genetic engineering, since it can cure certain illness and diseases that are incurable with modern medicine, has fewer side-effects than conventional drugs or surgery, and allows humans to be stronger physically and mentally at birth. Gene therapy or genetic engineering is the development and application of scientific methods, procedures, and technologies that permit direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population (NIH). It essentially means that we can change DNA to make an organism better. Genetic engineering is used with animals and plants every day; for example with genetic...
Discussion around genetic engineering and reproductive technologies always evolve around preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) -- the method by which early human embryos are genetically removed and then discarded or placed back in the uterus. Ronald Green’s argument in his article Building Baby from the Genes Up is based on an excessively basic understanding of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and genomic science. Green argues that “genomic science is racing toward a future in which foreseeable improvements include reduced susceptibility to a host of diseases, increased life span, better cognitive functioning, and maybe even cosmetic enhancement such as whiter, straightener teeth” (180) is deceiving when we consider the ethical issues of PGD. The risks of misapplication of PGD can lead to eugenics, destruction of embryos and can be used towards non-medical traits such as cosmetics enhancement and the fact of selecting offspring traits itself can be a problem to society.
We are closer that humanity ever has been to being able to intentionally manipulate DNA and thereby being capable of creating organisms that can dramatically improve our lives and wellbeing as a species. However, genetic engineering has to be appropriately regulated, taking into consideration ethical issues such as human rights, the dignity of the individual, harmful consequences and issues of morality followed by them. This paper will try to expand upon various views on genetic engineering and will pay homage to my background writing engineering research papers to consider the ethics of genetic engineering-the designer baby, cloning, how it relates to ethics in engineering generally, and the responsibilities of engineers and the concerns of
The wonders of science fiction became reality with modern genetic technology. Genetic editing is a breakthrough in this field of science, allowing scientists to study and alter an organism’s DNA. In addition to such, they found ways to amend the genetic composition of human embryos, giving this discovery the name “designer babies.”. Discovering genetic editing techniques on human embryos sparked controversy all over the world. Despite this debate, , fixing human DNA can lead to a brighter future for the human race and the world.
There are different ways and reasons why people wish to change the genes in their cells; the two categories split into “somatic and germline genetic engineering”. When a scientist uses “somatic genetic engineering” -the sex cells-- eggs and sperms are not affected; a specific gene code is changed and the genes do not pass down to the next generation. The other genetic engineering used is “germline” which, in contrast to somatic engineering, affects the eggs and sperms. When germline genetic engineering is used, the genes will be passed down to the next generation, affecting the physical and genetic traits. The debate rises and people question people’s free will. Bioethics is the formal and recognized term that describes the advantages and disadvantages that genetic enginee...
In the end, gene therapy in humans needs to come a long way before it will be widely accepted, but there is great potential in the technology and it needs to be pursued. Bibliography Anderson, W. F. (1992). The Species of the World. Human Gene Therapy -. Science, 256 (5058), 808-813.
What are the risks and what are the possible benefits? Currently, gene therapy is one of the only ways to change the genetic makeup of an animal or human. Also, the chance of gene therapy being successful in animals is fifty percent, while in humans it is five percent. Human Genetics Alert believes “Once we begin to consciously design ourselves, we will have entered a completely new era of human history, in which human subjects, rather than being accepted as they are, will become just another kind of object, shaped according to parental whims and market forces”. HGA provides background information on the currently available resources used in Genetic Engineering.
Imagine a future society compelled by exceptional intelligence, advanced technology, and physical flawlessness. While it may sound like the ideal world, there are dangers that lie within this societal dream. A heated topic today is the question of whether scientists should be allowed to use genetic engineering to change the human genetic code, primarily as a result of parental preference. Every single person has a different genome that establishes their personality, intelligence, and physical traits. Due to the vast advancement in technology, geneticists now have the ability to alter the human genome before birth and determine the gender and health status of a unborn child.
Gene therapy has been around for quite some time, where the earliest trial had occurred to a four-year-old girl back in 1990 at the NIH Clinical Center. She had possessed ADA deficiency a disease that target the body's immune system, leaving it defenseless from foreign invaders. White blood cells were taken out of her body and the genes that make adenosine deaminase were inserted into them and then reinserted back into her body. Gene therapy spans farther back to 1985 when it was first introduced into modern medicine by Drs. W. French Anderson and Michael Blaese.