Journal Entry
for
November 5th, 2001
Date: November 5, 2001
Science, Technology, and Society Topic of the Week:
Should
Genetic Engineering be
Banned?
Science, Technology, and Society Topic Position:
Should Genetic Engineering be Banned?
Last semester I was asked to write a paper, stating my position on human cloning and genetic engineering. When I first started out to write this paper, I was totally against genetic engineering and cloning. I thought, and I still do think, that each person has their own uniqueness about them, and that should not be tampered with. Why alter a person's uniqueness, just to become more like society? This is a mystery to me. However, through research and much discussion, I began to see some of the positive aspects of genetic engineering. Now, this does not mean I am all for genetic engineering, but it does mean that I began to see the other side of the controversy.
Personally, I feel each person is unique, and this should not be altered nor duplicated. However, genetic engineering goes beyond cloning a human, (which i feel is completely immoral). It allows different genes to be made and altered in order to help a person with a long line of health problems in the family to perhaps eliminate the probability of the existing disease. In our text, Andrew Kimbrell satisfies this statement when he says, "Critics envisioned a future human body shop industry in eliminating the genes responsible for sickle-cell anemia or cystic fibrosis..." (Easton, 2000). Many people believe, by eliminating the harmful genes in the embryo, he/she will have a chance at a better life.
See, this part sounds ideal. It would be wonderful to have a person with the chance of fatal disease to be risk-free. The idea of genetic engineering in this sense sounds great, but it can't be this easy, can it?
In opposition to the feelings expressed by Andrew Kimbrell, a major concern of James Hughes is that things will go too far and people will start choosing how their children should look (2000). He feels people would take advantage of the "tampering" with genes and begin to have procedures done to make their children look like ideal beauties. This is not right. There would be no more diversity in the world. It's great that these people would not suffer from some disease they may be destined for, but they would walk around the streets looking exactly alike! Granted, this is not identical to cloning (pardon the pun), but people would begin to go beyond medical reasons of genetic engineering and start to design their children.
Honestly, I feel genetic engineering would lead to many more problems.
I think it would be great if genetic engineering was only used for medical
purposes, but when people see it as a way to create their children I think
this world would be even more confusing than it already is.
Science, Technology, and Society Resources:
The following resources are available to help one learn more about Genetic Engineering. I have also enclosed a link to a paper I wrote in one of my classes, confronting the issue of Genetic Engineering and Cloning.
Science, Technolgy
&
Society
| 1. "To Be, or Be Two" | Written by myself, this paper confronts the issues at hand of cloning and genetic engineering. I offer insight to the negative aspects of genetic engineering, while taking a look at what good can possibly result. | "To Be, or Be Two" |
| 2. "Genetic Engineering" | This article provides the reader with background information on genetic engineering, and also on different techniques that are used to eliminate certain genes from the human body. | http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761557775 |
| 3. "Defending Freedom-Defending the Body" | The following literature discusses the importance of protecting the human body, and also the ethics and human rights that are measured in genetic engineering. | http://www.anth.org/ifgene/heisterkamp.htm |
| 4. "Genetic Modifications" | The following article provides information on the use of genetic engineering to get rid of harmful disease and illness in the human body. It also explains how genetic engineering can eliminate such traits as alcoholism and so on. | http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Individual/Body/genes.html |
| 5. "Genie out of the Bottle" on Human Cloning | This article supports the use of genetic engineering by couples who are not able to have children. Therefore, genes would be cloned in order for this couple to have a child. | http://online.sfsu.edu/%7Erone/GEessays/humancloning.html |
| 6. "Who Owns Your Genes?" | The following article provides the reader with information on how one man was infected with the AIDS virus, while his partner was not. How can he be immune to such a virus? Read more to find out how this man is genetically immune to HIV. | http://online.sfsu.edu/%7Erone/GEessays/WhoOwnsYourGenes.html |
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