Essay On Human Genetic Engineering

Human Genetic Engineering

Imagine a world where life threatening diseases are a thing of the past, where child are born without birth defects or serious illness. Imagine a world where parents could choose what their child looks like, or make sure their child is not susceptible to drug addictions, alcoholism, depression or violence. Imagine a world where parents could make their children genius or amazing athletes. Does this idea scare you or make you excited? Through the use of genetic engineering this imagined world could become reality. To answer any of these questions or to imagine this world, first I want to know what genetic engineering is and how it works?

I first found this next source a two minute and thirty-two second YouTube video

while absent mindedly watching videos from the “recommend for you” section on YouTube home page. This video caught my attention because when I saw it I thought it would be a good source for my paper to explain to people what genetic engineering is in the first place.

The video What is Genetic Engineering? By Eco-Wise Videos explains in an easy and simple to understand way that Genetic engineering is defined as the deliberate, manipulation of genes in an organism with the sole purpose of making the organism better in some way. This occurs by changing base pairs because all living thing have DNA. A adenine always pairs with T thymine and C cytosine always pairs with G guanine, but different sequences of these pairs or ratio varies and account for why each person’s DNA

is slightly different. Through genetic engineering scientist can delete, add, or rearrange section of DNA by changing these base pairs. The video uses the example of a diabetic medication called Humulin. Humulin is created through the uses of genetically modified bacteria. Scientists have isolated the section of DNA that codes for the production of insulin and inserted that section in the bacteria used in this medication creating a bacteria that produces human insulin. The portrayal of genetic engineering in this video is great shows a positive aspect of how this technology could be used to help people who suffer from type 1 diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes. I liked this source because it explain how genetic engineering works in a very easy to understand way without getting into the extract science of how it all work. Now that I know what genetic engineering is and how it works, I want to know how the effects of genetically engineering human and what that type of society would look like?
I found my second source by remembering a film I watched in high school. I first watched the movie GATTACA in my tenth grade biology class. GATTACA is set in a “not too distant future”. The movie focuses on the controversial topic of human genetic engineering. Human genetic engineering could be a huge benefit to our world if use properly, but if unchecked it could cause destruction. There are many potential risks that could occur by genetically engineering humans. The risks mainly revolve around the over use and eugenics taking place. Our world could turn into a real life GATTACA where status is defined by a person gene. Those who are not genetically perfect are cast out of society. After watching the movie and seeing the possible effects of genetically engineering human and what that type of society would look like, I wanted to what if and what types of human genetic engineering is used today?
I was in my bedroom sitting on my bed cuddled in blankets with my laptop when I found this next source by typing “Human genetic engineering” into google and 18,700,000 results popped up, Genetic inequality: Human genetic engineering by Danielle Simmons Ph.D. a Senior Research Scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine, her article was the first result after the scholarly article on the page. I clicked on the link because the title interested me. The article talks mainly about how as the knowledge of genetic advances so does the curiosity and danger of what could be done with this technology. Genetic engineering is not new technology but has becoming more popular and controversial within the last few years. Plants and animals have been successfully genetically engineering, so naturally people start to wonder about the possibly of genetically modified humans. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a type of Assistive reproductive technology (ART) already being use as a form of genetic modification. IVF is the fertilization of an egg outside the women’s body in a petri dish then implanted into the womb. Through the use of IVF, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) was born, leading the way for Genetic modification of unborn child. PGD was first used in 1989. PGD is the testing of embryos for genetic or chromosomal abnormities. PGD could help children live healthy lives without the constant hospital visits and endless need medication just to stay alive. PGD could eliminate devastating diseases such as Sickle cell anemia, Hemophilia, Cystic Fibrosis, Rett syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, fragile X syndrome and other life threating diseases. Without these genetic diseases they would cease to exist because there would be no disease to pass on to the offspring’s. Also if there were no genetic diseases the government would stop needing to spend millions of dollars trying to find cures for these diseases, if they were already eradicated.
Today Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis is usually only used to detect chromosomal abnormities but has been used for gender selection but if embryologist and geneticist find out enough about the link between traits and other genes such as hair color, eye color, height, intelligences, athlete ability , or other character traits Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis could lead genetic engineering of humans. The world would be thrown into a state of full blown eugenics. Another idea to consider, if everyone was genetically engineered that would significantly limit the human gene pool and our species could potentially be wiped out by some new unknown disease. Human diversity could actually be a protective factor, it could be one of the reason humans have survived for so many centuries. If this technology is only used to only to cure life threating disease, the future should be safe from highly genetically engineered humans.
Is genetic engineering ethical?

This is a question that only an individual themselves can answer. On one side of the argument people that if we do not use the technology we have been given to cure horrible diseases and end so much suffering, how is that right? Other say why do people keep asking what gives the right to play god? Humans have been playing god for thousands of years, from slavery and equally to punishment. It is human nature, humans love power playing god gives people power. Is that right? That is up to the individual to decide. On the other hand others say there still so much we do not know and never will understand about the human body, and mind. It is arrogant and foolish to experiment with our species saying we understand everything; the truth is scientists have only barely scratched the

surface.
I found this next source Is genetic testing humans playing God? By Robert Klitzman, by using the opposing viewpoints section of the Hartness library while I was sitting at my dining room table eating potato soup and listening to Pandora radio with all my homework stuff, books, and papers spread all around me. I found this source quite interesting because is relate so nicely to my next question, is Human genetic engineering ethical? Robert Klitzman is a psychiatrist and bioethicist Columbia University Medical Center. Klitzman article mainly talks about how through the use of PGD embryos can be tested for genetic disease and because of this many ethical issues have risen, but he also says that through the use of this technology many genetic non-curable disease can be eliminated. Klitzman also mentions that because this is such powerful technology is can be misused and abused, he says there needs to be limits and a line needs to be drawn and clearly marked so a practice of eugenics does not occur. Klitzman explains the severity of this very nicely when he said: I like this quote because it clearly points out what could happen through the use of this technology. I am not that this technology should be banned out right but it need to be used wise and safely.
It is human nature to want to be stronger, happier, healthier, and just better in general. When it comes to genetic engineering people must realize that we are altering human DNA something not fully understood in the first place. Sometimes change is for the better as in the case of finding cure to fatal disease, but sometime people take science too far. With all the power the technology of the twenty-first century has given us, it would be easy to damage our society. Scientist should always ask themselves would their discovery help mankind or only their reputation, sometimes things are thing are better left unchanged. Change may not always be for the best. History has proven science can either create a better world or be a destructive force. Only time will tell what the future will bring.