Ethics of Genetic Engineering

Ethics of Genetic Engineering

Within the last two decades scientists have developed several new techniques, which manipulate and alter the genes found in the cells of living organisms. This wonder of the century, genetic engineering has turned heredity --the passing of inheritable characteristics from parent to off spring- from a natural, random event into a process that can be artificially controlled and exploited. It has the potential of giving humanity unprecedented power over life itself, and it has thus raised profound questions in such diverse areas as the environment, agriculture, biological warfare, and animal rights. Genetic engineering has clearly become the controversial topic of today and no doubt will extend into future. It will soon be, if not already, invading our schools, workplaces, and homes. And I personally believe it should never take place.

First of all, who are we to be playing God? Since when have we decided that nature's role in our lives becomes invalid just because we now have the technology to change it. You may be thinking that humans have been playing God since the beginning, but that just isn't so. In fact, recently we have tried to tweak nature's creation by such practices as life support systems and medications for terminal diseases. But prolonging someone's life cannot compare to completely rearranging the sheer fabric of life on this planet.

Many people are concerned with the emotional stress on the parents of a genetically altered child. You may question, as you watch your child suffering from a painful genetic condition, 'how can I live with myself, I could have prevented my child's pain,' But how would you feel if your choice to alter your child ended up harming them? What if they we...

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...course whose final goal is the "perfection" of the human species? How important is it that we eliminate all imperfections, all

defects? What price are we willing to pay to extend our lives, to ensure our own health, to do away with all inconveniences, the irritations, the nuisances, the infirmities, the suffering, that are so much a part of the human experiences? Are we so enamored with the idea of physical perpetuation at all costs that we are even willing to subject the human species to rigid architectural design?

With human genetic engineering, we get something and we give up something. In return for securing our own physical well being, we are forced to accept the idea of reducing the human species to a technologically designed product. Genetic engineering poses the most functional of questions. Is guaranteeing our health worth trading away our humanity?