Eugenics

Eugenics

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The Civil War was fought to save the republic and free the enslaved. World War II was fought to save the world and stop a group which thought they were a superior race. What do these two wars have in common? They were fought, in part, for equality. The difference or believed difference between people causes tension and discrimination. Genetic engineering will cause a new form of differences between people and will cause an infinite amount of damage. Along with the potential damage, genetic engineering is morally and religiously wrong.

Although genetic engineering has not been fully developed, we have come a long way and are now very close. The Human Genome project has almost mapped every one of a human's chromosomes. Doctors can now tell you if you have or if your child will inherit a certain disease.

But first what are genes? Genes are often described as 'blueprints' or 'computer programs' for our bodies and all living organisms. Genes are specific sequences of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that are used in the production of proteins. They are a single factor among many. "They provide the 'list of ingredients' which is then organized by the 'dynamical system' of the organism." That 'dynamical system' determines how the organism is going to develop. A recipe of ingredients alone does not create a dish of food.

…a gene is not an easily identifiable and tangible object. It is not only the DNA sequence which determines its fu...

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...s six fingers. The pianist plays so well because he has six fingers. His parents decided he would play the piano before he was even born. In any other non-instrumental profession the man would have been an ostracized. Genetic engineering would turn into a way for parents to live their ideal life through their child. For example, if Mr. Jones wanted to play basketball but was turned away due to his lack in height, he could make his son tall so his son would turn into a basketball player.

Many more problems can result from genetically engineering a child. The development of eugenics will shake the foundation that all religions and this country were built on. Insurance and medical companies will collapse and the social gap will reach an extreme. "Once an intelligent life form reaches the stage we're at now, it proceeds to destroy itself."(Hawking,15)