Genetic Manipulation

Genetic Manipulation

Genes, being part of the basic building blocks of man, control all aspects of one's life.

They control how tall you are, what color your eyes are, and what diseases might afflict you in the

future. Therefore, the manipulation of such genes can be a controversial topic. The controversy

most likely stems from the ethical and social questions that are raised by this procedure. Jean

Dausset, author of "Scientific Knowledge and Human Dignity," and George B. Kutukdjian,

author of "UNESCO and Bioethics," both discuss the topic of genetic manipulation. Their main

focus concerns the applications of genetic manipulation, the limitations and equal opportunities of

genetic manipulation, and how a person's confidential information would be regulated. To

understand this basics of genetic manipulation, one must first have a little background knowledge.

"Genetics is the branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of

the hereditary transmission and variation of inherited characteristics. Genes are the hereditary

units of chromosomes that are located inside the DNA, which determine certain characteristics

of an organism" (Encarta). The scientific alteration of the structure of genetic material in a

living organism is called genetic engineering. Gene therapy is the insertion of a gene or genes

into cells in order to provide a new set of instructions to those cells (Encarta). Gene therapy is

actually a form of gene manipulation in itself because one is trying to control, or manipulate, the

structure of a gene. Gene therapy is used to correct a person's genetic predisposition. Genetic

predisposition is the identification of what diseases a person might be afflicted with in the future

and how or from what a person will die (Dausset 451). The application of genetic manipulation

can be seen in two areas: genetic testing and predictive medicine.

Genetic testing can be separated into two categories. The first should be to look for

characteristics of genetic diseases which are hereditary. The second is used to show a person's

"predisposition to certain diseases" (Kutukdjian 453). It is in genetic testing that the concept of

gene therapy can play a role. The somatic type of gene therapy is considered to be an ethical

one. Its main concern is focused toward the cells of the body (Dausset 450). On the other

hand, the germ-line type is concerned with the reproductive cells or the embryos themselves,