In recent discussions of genetic engineering, a controversial issue has been whether genetic engineering is ethical or not. In “The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering,” JC Polkinghorne discusses about the moral status of the very early embryo and therapeutic cloning. J. H. Brooke’s article “Commentary on: The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering” comments and state opinions that counter Polkinghorne’s article. On the other hand John Harris’s ““Goodbye Dolly?” The Ethics of Human Cloning” examines “the possible uses and abuses of human cloning and draw out the principal ethical dimensions, both of what might be done and its meaning, and of public and official response” (353). While in C. Cameron and R. Williamson’s article, “In the World of Dolly, When Does a Human Embryo Acquire Respect?” discusses about the debate of genetic engineering, the authors also look at several religious views of when life begins according to fertilization. Also Cameron and Williamson discuss when life begins in a “Dolly embryo” (Cameron and Williamson 218). Cameron and Williamson go into depth on when an embryo or a “Dolly embryo” acquire respect. I will argue when dealing with genetic engineering a human embryo is entitled to dignity/respect, this topic needs to be dealt with informative people, and religious groups are biased in the genetic engineering debate.
Dignity is the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect. Some say that dignity has to be earned and others say you are born with it. Cameron and Williamson declare that the definition for an embryo is “an animal in the early stages of growth before hatching; developing unborn human during the first eight weeks after conception” (Cameron and Williamson 217). Cameron and W...
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...ening here in the years to come. Also we need to be informed about the topic to be able to defend our opinions about it. I maintain that an embryo has respect at the point of fertilization and a “dolly” embryo has respect at the point of creation in a petri dish.
Works Cited
Brooke, J. H. "Commentary On: The Person, the Soul and Genetic Engineering." Journal of Medical Ethics 30.6 (2004): 597-600. JSTOR. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
Harris, John. ""Goodbye Dolly?" The Ethics of Human Cloning." Journal of Medical Ethics 23.6 (1997): 353-360. JSTOR. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
Polkinghorne, J. C. "The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering." Journal of Medical Ethics 30.6 (2004): 593-97. JSTOR. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Cameron, C., Williamson, R. “In the World of Dolly, When Does a Human Embryo Acquire Respect?” Journal of Medical Ethics 31.4. (2005): 215-220. Jstor. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
The Web. The Web. 15 Apr. 2013. The. Waskey, Andrew J. -. “Moral Status of Embryos.”
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.
Children are the people who represent life in the future, and having children is the most desirable wish for every parent. In the past, if a couple couldn't have children, they just prayed and hoped that a miracle would happen to them. Besides, they could adopt children if they wished to. Everything has been changing since then. With new techniques in the medical field such as in vitro fertilization, a doctor can implant an embryo into a woman's body. This new techniques has brought so much happiness to many families. On the other hand, it has also caused so many controversial debates for the rights of the embryos. This issue once again has been brought up in the article titled "Rules for the Frozen Embryos," by Carol Numrich, published in 2002. In the article, the author gives us some cases where some people argue that the embryos are human, but others argue that the embryos are just some undifferentiated cells. However, in my opinion, the embryos should not be viewed strictly as human.
“In particular, sacrificing human embryos would fundamentally depart from the long-honored Hippocratic ethic which teaches, ‘First do not harm.’” (William Cheshire)
...ns of a morally questionable nature. It is necessary that our practices remain ethical and that we uphold the value of a human life, as this is the cornerstone of human society. Embryonic stem cell research is one such operation that forces scientists, policy makers, and the larger society to define what constitutes a human life and to find an answer to the crucial question: Is it morally acceptable to violate the rights of a human life for the for the sake of medical progress?
Bonnie Steinbock, in her paper entitled, “What Does “Respect for Embryos” mean in the Context of Stem Cell Research?” argues that using human embryos for embryonic stem cell research is immoral and illicit. She forms her argument on the “consideration of the human subject from the moment of conception” (Bioethics 592). The author supports her argument with five reasons as to why using human embryos for ES research. She explains that the moment the gametes unite, an embryo with human rights is formed. Building off of her first statement, the author explains that it is immoral and illicit to intervene in the development of an individual with rights in a non-favorable way, because
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.
Recent breakthroughs in the field of genetics and biotechnology have brought attention to the ethical issues surrounding human enhancement. While these breakthroughs have many positive aspects, such as the treatment and prevention of many debilitating diseases and extending human life expectancy well beyond its current limits, there are profound moral implications associated with the ability to manipulate our own nature. Michael Sandel’s “The Case Against Perfection” examines the ethical and moral issues associated with human enhancement while Nick Bostrom’s paper, “In Defense of Posthuman Dignity” compares the positions that transhumanists and bioconservatists take on the topic of human enhancement. The author’s opinions on the issue of human genetic enhancement stand in contrast to one another even though those opinions are based on very similar topics. The author’s views on human enhancement, the effect enhancement has on human nature, and the importance of dignity are the main issues discussed by Sandel and Bostrom and are the focus of this essay.
"Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry." The President's Council on Bioethics Washington, D.C. N.p., July-Aug. 2002. Web.
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.
...on of human embryos but they successfully argue that the benefits of therapeutic cloning outweigh the morally based objections regarding the process” (2011). Furthermore they emphasize the fact that human lives are spared and improved by the use of genetic engineering and that the destruction of human embryos can eventually be omitted out of the process in a near future through other forms of technology.
Foht, Brendan P. "Three-Parent Embryos Illustrate Ethical Problems with Technologies." Medical Ethics, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
The concepts of human enhancement and biotechnology are fairly new terms in the world of ethics and medicine. These words, although far from being unfamiliar, are not often heard in the medical field except in special cases. However, in the past few years, the research and use of biotechnology is on the rise and becoming more prevalent under certain situations. This week’s reading focuses on the issues of biotechnology in a historical and modern context, yet also addresses the pros and cons of such developments.
The Problem Genetic engineering has been around since the 1960’s, although major experiments have not been really noticed until the 1990’s. Science comes in different forms, the two major being cloning and genetic reconstruction. Cloning is the duplicating of one organism and making an exact copy. For example, in 1996 the creation of the clone sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned, which was a great achievement. The other form, genetic reconstruction, is used to replace genes within humans to help or enhance the life of an unborn child for a medical reason or just for the preference of a parent.
Genetic engineering seems decades away, but through modern technology, it has recently entered the human realm. Some believe genetic engineering will bring forth great advancements in the human brain and body, but instead some believe one mistake creates a world where every child will be genetically engineered just to keep up with the rest of society. Many times, the media plays a very strong role in the image of this issue, and masks the true identity of this social injustice. However, what forms of genetic engineering can be done in humans today? What is in store for the future? What are the risks and what could be the possible benefits? Currently gene therapy is one of the only ways to change the genetic makeup of an animal or human. Also,