Consider the use of genetic modification, for example, to modify genes not for life-saving procedures but for aesthetic changes. Remember that when one alters the DNA of a human being, even for a supposedly benign but necessary fashion, like making a short child taller, this DNA will be passed down to future generations of that child. This calls into question the ownership of the child's DNA. (Bereano, 1995) Modifying a child's gene to save his or her life, without a very young child's consent, might be considered within ethical guidelines, like providing resuscitation to an unconscious person who cannot give consent, but non-necessary procedures are far more questionable. What if the short child wished to become a jockey, or a gymnast? How can a parent determine what the child finds aesthetically pleasing, or even how society will define such constructs as beauty, good character, or intelligence, when that child is an adult. Permitting too much modification will give parents control over their child's destiny and free will in a way that makes current control mechanisms like schooling, finances, and discipline seem like, no pun intended, child's play.
Furthermore, focusing research efforts and publicity on non-life saving genetic modifications, perhaps most damningly, has proved to be a powerful distraction from the real, life-saving potential of innovations in the technology. Because of fears of cloning, or building a super race, research into the abuse of some of the potentially life-sustaining ways genetic engineering can be used has come under question. To end such potential abuses, scientists conducting research into this technology should set voluntary ethical guidelines for themselves. There is certainly a precedent for this...
(Biohazards: The Next Generation? There is a wide variety of such products and that includes salmon which grow twice as fast as the regular salmon, but nobody is thinking of the consequences when these fish will escape from the farms where they are being cultivated. Some types of plants like poplar, eucalyptus and pine are being modified so that their rate of growth increases and are able to stop reacting
Harry Collins with Delta & Pine Land asserts that "protection systems" (the terminator seed) will "…help farmers in all areas of the world gain access to the most technologically advanced tools and products" allowing them to produce "more profitable crops" (Shand, 3). Collins goes on to insist that "traditional farming practices" -- using saved seeds to plant next season's crops -- brings "a gross disadvantage to Third World farmers" because
Genetic Engineering The alteration of the genetic structure of any organism is done by means of Genetic engineering that provides characters beneficial or pleasing to the individual performing the alternation. In other words it is a treatment of the DNA or RNA pool (Sarah. 2002). For instance, the most greatly well-known example of genetic engineering is the sheep Dolly that was cloned in the year 1996. Here, in order to create
Ethics Analysis of Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms Custom research material provided by Stud ent Network Resources, Inc. Ethics and Morality Contemporary Ethics Analysis of Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms Ethics and Morality According to the article "Can a genetically-modified organism-containing diet influence embryo development? A preliminary study on pre-implantation mouse embryos," "Millions of test is used every year for a wide variety of scientific and medical purposes. This article, discusses issues
Ethics of Genetic Engineering In February 1997, genetic engineering was thrust into the spotlight when Dolly, the first mammal clone, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. The world has had heated discussions over the issues surrounding genetic engineering ever since. The selective engineering of genetics is invaluable to the health and happiness of humans. The importance of this issue has played second fiddle to the arguments, for and against genetic engineering. The
Genetic Engineering What is Genetic Engineering? What is its purpose? Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher of San Francisco State University explains that "genetic engineering" is also called "genetic modification," or "genetic manipulation" (Steinbrecher, 1998). The three titles for the same process really refer to " ... the reshuffling of genes usually from one species to another," and the "basic biology" behind genetic engineering begins with the smallest living unit, the cell. Humans have 3,000,000,000,000
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