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Genetic modification ethical issues
Is genetic modification ethical
Genetic modification ethical
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It is natural for most parents to want to give their children the best lives possible. They would like for their children to turn out the best that they can be. Being able to take on any role that they would like without being told that they are not good enough. They would also like for their children to be attractive, healthy, and just to have all of what are considered to be the perfect traits. To give children the most perfect and healthy lives a lot of parents are turning towards biotechnology. They are having their children genetically engineered. Which is basically selecting certain genetic makeup to present a specific gene. Currently biotechnology can be used to determine the gender of a child and fix issues that may occur within the …show more content…
If parents, choose to use genetic engineering to increase their children’s intelligence and beauty this could lead to several problems in the future. First those who are considered to be designer babies may be considered superior to those who are not. When looking for occupations those who are not designer babies may find it more difficult to find a place of employment. Andrew Niccols a New Zealand screen writer as well as the producer and director of the film Gattaca correctly presents inequality against those who are not designer babies often throughout the film. Niccols demonstrates how the main character Vincent Freeman cannot find a career in his place of interest simply because he was not genetically engineered (Gattaca). In the film if Vincent was genetically engineered he would not have had as tough as a time as he did. He would not have to work as hard to prove that he is no less than the designer babies. In the film Gattaca it showed how when Vincent’s dad found out he could have heart problems he would not pass on his name to him (Gattaca). However, when Vincent’s younger brother was born he receive the dads name and the parents showed more favoritism towards him because he was a designer baby. This just goes on to explain how inequality can exist more than just within society but also in families for those who are not genetically engineered. If it does become legal for parents to choose these traits the world will become even more divided and unjust for those who cannot afford to go through the genetic engineering process. Inequality is something that should be thought about before parents are allowed to use genetic engineering to make their children more intelligent or more
Is it good to have? I believe that humans will eventually have to cross this bridge of interfering with nature or not. I see the positives and negatives on boths sides of the argument. However, collectively, I believe that genetically engineering children to the extent of that in the movie is a bad. I believe this for several reasons, one being that there, as seen in the movie, would be very little excitement about anything and everything would lack passion. Everyone who works at Gattaca is very bleak and shows no emotion for fear of being judged by other people. Another reason is that no one would really succeed at anything, and it would not be impressive if they did because they were only fulfilling their potential predicted at birth. If someone were to be faster than others, it would be expected because of their genes, and have nothing to do with personal training or effort. The only thing one could do is fail. Jerome had one of the best possible genetic codes and he only managed to win second place after being guaranteed first. If they do not live up to what has been decided about them, they only see themselves as failure. The biggest reason though, not to engineer your children, is the same as we see in the movie, discrimination because they lack a preferred genotype. Vincent was looked down upon, and was only ever expected to mop the floors superior people worked on. Not everyone
In the movie Gattaca, the doctor said that Vincent would have heart failure and was looked down upon because of his disability. In the society today people would not like to be without control of their own life. In the book Brave New World and in the film Gattaca, both societies use genetic engineering to create the character’s destiny without the approval of the beholder.
However, with genetic engineering this miracle of like is taken and reduced to petty “character creation” picking and choosing what someone else thinks should “make them special”. An unborn child that undergoes genetic treatments in this fashion is known as a designer baby (“Should Parents Be Permitted to Select the Gender of Their Children?”). By picking and choosing the traits of a child these designer babies bear similarities to abortion, choosing to get rid of the original child in favor of a “better” one. It is also unfair to deprive a child of their own life. By removing the element of chance and imputing their own preferences, children become treated more as an extension of their parents than as living beings with their own unique life. Parents could redirect a child’s entire life by imposing their wishes before they are even born, choosing a cookie cutter tall, athletic boy over a girl with her own individual traits, or any other choice that would redirect a child’s
The children that are genetically modified are called “valids” and the children that are not are called “invalids.” Vincent Freeman was born an invalid and genetic testing noticed that he would most likely have a disorder when he was older, limiting his expected life span to be 30.2 years old. As an invalid, Vincent was restricted to menial jobs while his younger, genetically modified brother was able to work a professional job. Vincent’s wanted to become an astronaut his entire life, but there was no way he would be able to due to the genetic testing that was required upon applying. Unlike all other invalids, Vincent never gave up hope and was able to become an astronaut by tricking the valids into thinking he was Jerome Morrow, a valid who became paralyzed. By altering his height, and using hair, blood, and urine samples from Jerome, Vincent was able to pass the genetic testing stage and prove himself as a top employee of Gattaca. Even while working at Gattaca, Vincent had to be on the top of his game to not let others know his true identity, otherwise he would be relegated back to the world of the invalids.
Firstly, a concerning issues related with the enhancement of characteristics through genetic means is discrimination in society. The text “Flowers for Algernon” epitomizes discrimination, where the protagonist Charlie Gordon undergoes a revolutionary change from his mental disability to a genius through an experimental surgery. Following the experiment, his intelligence escalates to a degree such that he progressively becomes isolated from the rest of society. Furthermore, Gordon explains his new intelligence to have “driven a wedge between [him] and all the people [he] once knew and loved” and expresses that “people don’t talk to [him] anymore and it makes [his] job lonely” (insert reference). This reveals a form of discrimination between the upper class and lower class individuals. Likewise, the film “Gattaca” depicts discrimination through the contrast of individual characters. The protagonist Vincent Freeman, is a naturally conceived baby who inherits a “99% probability [of developing] a heart disorder and a subsequent life expectancy of 30.2 years” (insert reference). In contrast, Vincent’s younger brother Anton has been artificially conceived providing him with physical advantages complemented with remarkable ...
The ethics behind genetic engineering have been discussed and argued for years now. Some arguing points often include competitive advantages, playing God, and the polarization of society, but Sandel takes a different approach in explaining society’s “unease” with the morality of genetic engineering. Broadcasted through several examples throughout the book, Sandel explains that genetic engineering is immoral because it takes away what makes us human and makes us something else. He states that by taking control of our genetic makeup, or the makeup of our progeny, we lose our human dignity and humility. Our hunger for control will lead to the loss of appreciation for natural gifts, whether they are certain talents, inherited from the genetic lottery, or the gift of life itself.
This is the natural fallacy genetic engineering creates in the new world seen in Gattaca. We know this because in the film the main character, Vincent, who uses another man named Jerome Morrow’s D.N.A and identity to rise up the ranks within Gattaca’s staff. He does this because genetic engineering pre-determines every aspect of one’s life that is scientifically possible. This would include diseases, life expectancy, cause of death, jobs/careers you can have and even who you should marry all from a sample of blood given when first born. Vincent’s D.N.A to others deemed him chronically ill, making him invalid, meaning that there would be very little opportunities for him in life; though he felt he can do things just as well as anyone. It is in Gattaca that we can look at genetic engineering as determining one’s instrumental worth to
Matt Bird explains “Genetic engineering can eliminate age barriers,” but he also states, “Genetic engineering’s ability to expand life has a drawback in that it can cause overpopulation.” This shows that the genetic engineering that Jonas’s community can have good things, but it may also have bad aspects to it. Matt Bird says that genetically modified babies can be made stronger, faster, tougher, and smarter, but his article also claims that doing so would have a larger chance for a mutant. In Jonas’s community they genetically modify the babies so they can’t see colors, but there is a chance that they could create a
People should not have access to genetically altering their children because of people’s views on God and their faith, the ethics involving humans, and the possible dangers in tampering with human genes. Although it is many parent’s dream to have the perfect child, or to create a child just the way they want, parents need to realize the reality in genetic engineering. Sometimes a dream should stay a figment of one’s imagination, so reality can go in without the chance of harming an innocent child’s life.
Imagine you are some sort of superhuman. You can run a mile in 4 minutes with a steady heart rate, you will never die of a heart condition or disease, and you have the appearance of a supermodel. In the film Gattaca, written and directed by Andrew Niccols, this is all possible. People are genetically modified to develop the absolute best traits from their parents and become “valids.” In the movie Gattaca, Vincent is born the old-fashioned way with multiple problems; his life expectancy is about thirty years, and he is considered an invalid.
It is undeniable that rapid technological and scientific progress not only improves convenience and efficiency of our daily life, but also causes ethical concerns to humanity where science and technology intersect with society from different disciplinary aspects. In particular, preimplantation genetic technology could have altered society into a genetic hierarchy, establishing a dystopian society accompanied by genetic discrimination. GATTACA, made in 1997, is an intriguing science fiction film directed by Andrew Niccol, that delivers an insight into how the world has perceived genetic engineering and draws on challenges over reproductive technologies to facilitate eugenics, and the possible consequences of such technological developments for the individual and society if such progress goes unchecked. Niccol presents Vincent Freeman, the protagonist as a representative of those who are born naturally, therefore he is seen as imperfect and ‘invalid’, no matter how hard he attempts and holds a bigger dream than ‘valids’ who had their genes selected so they could be as perfect as possible, yet he is never accepted and treated as inferior, second-class citizens.
Genes are, basically, the blueprints of our body which are passed down from generation to generation. Through the exploration of these inherited materials, scientists have ventured into the recent, and rather controversial, field of genetic engineering. It is described as the "artificial modification of the genetic code of a living organism", and involves the "manipulation and alteration of inborn characteristics" by humans (Lanza). Like many other issues, genetic engineering has sparked a heated debate. Some people believe that it has the potential to become the new "miracle tool" of medicine. To others, this new technology borders on the realm of immorality, and is an omen of the danger to come, and are firmly convinced that this human intervention into nature is unethical, and will bring about the destruction of mankind (Lanza).
Many companies, such as the Gattaca corporation Vincent hopes to work at, discriminate based on genetics. A simple urine test is all it takes to identify the valids from the invalids. Although this is officially banned, companies and employers use DNA testing discretely, such as extracting DNA from a simple handshake, instead of resumes to select their employees. “Godchilds” find themselves socially paralyzed by this prejudiced process. Look no further then the scene where Vincent applies to a job and is allowed to come in for an interview.
“It 's not easy as “I want to buy and egg,” states, the director of the Donor Egg Bank, Brigid Dowd. “Not everyone realizes what 's involved, and then when they hear the cost, many just pass out.” (CGS: Designing the $100,000 Baby,” par. 13) It is a fact that having certain traits are valuable, so this shows that the mere modification used on the designer baby, the more the cost. “If you are too rigid or become too obsessed with finding the perfect image you have in mind, the choice can become more difficult,” says Dowd. (“CGS: Designing the $100,000 Baby,”par. 16) The practice of human genetic modification will not be fair because only the wealthy will have enough money to spend on designing a baby. Therefore, the wealthy will have much more advantages such as longer, healthier, and successful lives. If only people of high class are able to afford designer babies, it will cause an even greater inequality between the rich and the poor (“The Ethics of Designer Babies”). It will also create a society based on “Social Darwinism”- The survival of the fittest. If creating designer babies will cause more inequalities and Social Darwinism, why should we allow this practice? (“The ethics of Designer Babies”)
Eugenics has been a popular plot point in film as it reflects society’s fundamental view of the role that heredity plays in societal problems. While it is mostly directed at humans, and it is rarely challenged that hereditary factors play a role in societal problems, these films criticize those who change heredity. This is because it is seen as the element that makes us ‘humans’ and that identity is deeply rooted in the genome, both the good and the bad. Eugenics is seen as the compromise between drastic measures such as sterilization as the ‘problem’ would have been addressed prior to it ever becoming one.10