Human Genetic Engineering

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Recommended: Opinions on genetic engineering

Doctor visits are expensive; fatal diseases are even more costly. Some diseases that cost one his or her life are passed down generation-to-generation, making the disease genetic. With today’s technological advancements, genes of an embryo can be screened for mutant, disease-carrying genes. Embryo screening gives parents the option to have a child or opt out of having a child with future potential flaws, difficulties, or a shortened life. Though embryo screening is seen as a gift because of its ability to detect diseased genes, human genetic engineering can be viewed as a greater blessing with its ability to modify the gene carrying the disease. In my research paper, I will discuss how Kant and Mill believe determining the fates of our future generation, and how its future is unethical, while also discussing how Julian Savelescu believes it is a moral obligation to select for valuable characteristic traits. The focal argument and debate between the two opposing sides lies on the ethics of parenting: “whether parents should be maximizing their children’s well-being, or simply giving them a good enough life” (Savelescu 1).
Recently, a project by scientists, The Human Genome Project, has come to completion. This project took years of compiled knowledge and advancement in technology to be able to successfully map out a sequence of three billion nucleotides of the human genome. With this step in the right direction, scientists located genes for various traits on our chromosomes, thus allowing for future testing determining whether genomes contain sequences associated with specific diseases. Embryo screening, also recognized as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows for detection of diseases without waiting to undergo ...

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...Cited

Burgess, J. A., and Adrian J. Walsh. "Is Genetic Engineering Wrong, Per Se?" The

Journal of Value Inquiry 32 (1998): 393-406. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Gunderson, Martin. "Seeking Perfection: A Kantian Look at Human Genetic

Engineering." Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 28.2 (2007): 87-102. Print.

Gunderson, Martin. “Genetic Engineering and the Consent of Future Persons.” Journal of

Evolution and Technology. (2008): 1-8. Print.

Pray, Leslie. "Embryo Screening and the Ethics of Human Genetic
Engineering."Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 2008. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
PDF:http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/genetic_engineering/Explain_how_Kantian_Ethics_might_respond_to_issues_raised_by_genetic_engineering.pdf

"Eugenics." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

"Nazi Eugenics." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

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