Genetic Manipulation
In David Brins science fiction novel called The Uplift War, the reader is presented with a world in which humans have not only become a space faring species and made contact with extraterrestrials, but also made an astounding achievement on their own world; they have made dolphins and chimpanzees into thinking, sentient creatures through a process called uplift. Uplift is a process of elevating animal species to full sapience through methods of breeding and genetic engineering. The uplifted species, known as clients, then serve their patrons, the species who uplifted them, until the patrons release them from indenture. Naturally, this causes many problems. Client species are often looked upon as inferior; this is partly
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This method takes a lot of time and effort because the construction of the virus is quite complicated. Another effect of infection is that the information of the viruses may not always be incorporated into all the cultured cells, requiring out breeding of selected organisms to isolate those with the desired gene (Macer). Pronuclear microinjection is another method of genetic manipulation. Linear DNA fragments containing the desired gene are injected into the nucleus of a fertilized egg, where they will be incorporated at random locations. The desired gene will eventually be expressed in a percentage of resulting organisms. While relatively simple, there is still control over the expression rate of the genes or the disruption of genes vital to the organisms survival (Macer). Nuclear transfer is the most efficient method of genetic manipulation we have yet developed. Cultured cells are transfected with the desired genes; these cells can then be analyzed to determine whether the integration of DNA is successful. Selected cells are starved so they will not divide, then the nucleus is inserted into the original egg. The transgenic animal is then born, hopefully expressing the desired gene (Macer). The biggest concern about the methods of genetic manipulation is the large number of failures, that is, animals that dont express the desired gene. What will be done with the failures? Should they be killed, and would that be merciful, or cruel? Brin acknowledged human impatience, saying For all of their unusual and rapid successes in Uplift, Terran geneticists still had a way to go with neo-dolphins and neo-chimpanzeesby Galactic standards they had made great strides, but Earthmen wanted even more rapid progress (Brin, 110). Should we even attempt to evolve other species into full
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.
“The problem with eugenics and genetic engineering is that they represent the one-sided triumph of willfulness over giftedness, of dominion over reverence, of molding over beholding” (Sandel, 2004, p.59).
Savulescu, Julian. “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Human Beings.” Readings in the Philosophy of Technology. Ed. David Kaplan. 2nd ed. Lanham: Roman & Littlefield, 2009. 417-430.
Aside from the ethical issues of inter-species breeding itself, the aliens, who think of themselves as heroes, are perfectly willing to coerce the humans into interbreeding with them. They genetically modify human DNA, without the humans’ prior knowledge or consent, in order to render them unable to conceive children by normal human sexual reproduction. They then offer them the “choice” of reproducing by interbreeding with them, which they refer to as “trade.” This is a catch-22 for the humans.
Coughenour, J. Separate and Unequal: Women in the Federal Criminal Justice System. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014
Historically, criminology was significantly ‘gender-blind’ with men constituting the majority of criminal offenders, criminal justice practitioners and criminologists to understand ‘male crimes’ (Carraine, Cox, South, Fussey, Turton, Theil & Hobbs, 2012). Consequently, women’s criminality was a greatly neglected area and women were typically seen as non-criminal. Although when women did commit crimes they were medicalised and pathologised, and sent to mental institutions not prisons (Carraine et al., 2012). Although women today are treated differently to how they were in the past, women still do get treated differently in the criminal justice system. Drawing upon social control theory, this essay argues that nature and extent of discrimination
Society expects the criminal justice system to provide justice for everyone by protecting the innocent, to punish and convict the guilty, and to rehabilitate them in an attempt to stop them reoffending. It is supposed to give fair justice to everyone, regardless of gender, but much is written that suggests that the criminal justice system is gender-biased. Gender bias was not formed by the justice system, but it does reflect the fundamental conditions and attitudes of society. The cost of gender bias to society, the criminal justice system, and to the people within it is enormous. To discuss if the criminal justice system is gender-biased, an understanding should be reached regarding what is meant by the term
Gene therapy is a provisional technique that is the insertion of normal genes into the cells where there is a missing or miscoded gene to fix a genetic disorder. In the 1960s and early 1970s,
However, the ethical issue is not whether it is morally acceptable to use animals as model organisms in research. Rather, the ethical issue in genetic engineering is how it is morally impermissible for humans to alter the genes of model animals before using them in medical research. This practice is deemed unethical because it causes unnecessary pain and harm to the genetically modified animal. The term unnecessary is referred to the state of physical discomfort and pain directly caused by the alteration of the genes. Meaning, this state of being would have not otherwise been experienced without the modification of the host’s genome. Model animals like nonhuman primates and mice share this capacity to experience physical pain and discomfort (West 426). Another reason why this practice is unethical is because humans and animal share the same interest in avoiding discomfort and pain (West 426). Furthermore, genetic engineering presents a wide range of consequences to the animal because scientists have limited control in the exact location of where foreign DNA is integrated in an animal, which causes physiological abnormalities in animals that intertwines with unnecessary pain and harm (Dale et
Men represent eight hundred ninety-six out of every one hundred thousand prison inmates, while women represent only fifty-six out of one hundred thousand. The rates have increased eight hundred percent since the war on drugs was initiated. Even among women prisoners, racial disparities are glaring. Hispanic and African American women have astronomically higher chances of incarceration than white women. Women are also more likely to be arrested for drug and economic crimes, such as possession or embezzlement (McGrath, 10/29). According to the chivalry hypothesis, the low rates of prosecuted female offenders reflect the leniency with which law enforcement treats women offenders (McGrath, 10/29). Gender differences in aggression and empathy play into the public perception of the ideal offender, and women do not fit the profile. Rather than applying the law equally across genders, police buy into the socially constructed view of women: meek, gentle, caring, empathic, and definitely not capable of cruel criminality (McGrath,
In the previous years the number of incarcerated women have increased drastically. According to the authors the recent change in arrest patterns could be because of the constructionist approach which focuses on shifts in law enforcement practices or other mechanisms of crime control to explain changes in arrest patterns.” (Schwartz, Steffensmeir & Feldmeyer, Pg.9) According to Beth Richie, “ women constitute a small fraction of the total population but the number of women incarceration rates are growing more significantly then their male counterparts… Women constituted for 16% of all people detained in correctional facilities.” (Beth Richie, Pg.2) Compared to why men are put in prison majority of women are put in prison because of drug offenses,
Genetic Engineering is the deliberate alteration of an organism's genetic information (Lee 1). The outcome scientists refer to as successful entitles the living thing’s ability to produce new substances or perform new functions (Lee 1). In the early 1970’s, direct manipulation of the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) became possible and led to the rapid advancement of modern biotechnology (Lee 1).
Science has taken another step forward into the future of mankind by empowering parents to give their children the best start possible. We are now presented the opportunity to decide what personality and features we want our kids to have before their even born. Although at first glance, it may seem amazing and feel as if you’re picking the exact candy bar you want at a convenient store. However, are we ready for mankind to play, what some might call “God”? Is messing with the genetic code in our babies morally right? Or is it wrong? These are questions being brought up towards the matter of genetically engineering our babies. Danielle Simmons mentioned in the 2008 Nature Education that “Genes influence health and disease, as well as human traits and behavior”. Well genetic engineering on human genes has been going on for a long period of time now. It has also been performed on babies of women who were having trouble conceiving to prevent birth deficiency and help produce a healthy baby. As time went on, scientist became more precise and accurate in the genetic engineering of human genes (Simmons). Scientist is now able to help parents make their baby exactly the way, they prefer. Now that we are able to engineer the genetic code in humans to this extent, we can now produce a healthier generation that will have our ideal traits and behavior.
Scientists and the general population favor genetic engineering because of the effects it has for the future generation; the advanced technology has helped our society to freely perform any improvements. Genetic engineering is currently an effective yet dangerous way to make this statement tangible. Though it may sound easy and harmless to change one’s genetic code, the conflicts do not only involve the scientific possibilities but also the human morals and ethics. When the scientists first used mice to practice this experiment, they “improved learning and memory” but showed an “increased sensitivity to pain.” The experiment has proven that while the result are favorable, there is a low percentage of success rate. Therefore, scientists have concluded that the resources they currently own will not allow an approval from the society to continually code new genes. While coding a new set of genes for people may be a benefitting idea, some people oppose this idea.
As educators, we are taught that each student is unique and has a learning style all their own, and a student with disabilities is no different. According to Storm (2018), accommodations “change how a student learns material” and modifications “change what a student is taught or expected to learn” (p. 1). Depending on the student’s disability, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 can stipulate what type(s) of accommodations and modifications the student will receive to help them be academically successful. Accommodations can also be informal and used with students struggling with grade-level curriculum. For example, in a classroom of twenty-five students, accommodations can help