Consequences of Genetic Engineering
Here are a few general tips for the essential information your Essay 2 final draft should include:
>No less than 1,000 words and no more than 1,200 words
>An introduction paragraph that includes some concrete background information about your overall topic (human genetic engineering) and the ethical principle you are using to make your judgment about the ethics of human genetic engineering.
>A clear one-sentence thesis statement located at the very end of the introduction paragraph. That thesis should be a sentence that presents your ethical argument about how far scientists should go when modifying humans with genetic engineering.
Is it ethical for scientists to modify humans with genetic engineering? When or why?
OR
Is it unethical for scientists to modify humans with genetic engineering? When or why?
Focus on just one side of the argument in Essay 2.
>Several body paragraphs that support the specific ethical argument presented in your thesis. What credible evidence do you have to support the ethical claim you made in your thesis? Defend your claim with concrete evidence. Discuss just one point of argument in each body paragraph.
>One counterargument paragraph that offers opposing arguments and possible objections to the particular ethical argument you are making. At the end of that same paragraph, be sure to include a refutation of those opposing arguments as well.
>A conclusion paragraph that reinforces the ethical argument you presented in your thesis and defended in your body paragraphs.
Additionally, your essay needs to include at least six pieces of source information:
Introduction
With modern advances in science and technology, genetic engineering was developed to prevent the spread of animal and plants diseases, especially those occurring as a result of genetic mutation. Today genetic engineering is being applied in various aspects of medicine from helping treat diseases such as diabetes, severe immunodeficiency to aiding in human reproduction process through In vitro fertilization among other benefits. Moreover, the technology has the ability to treat unborn babies especially when they are still fetus. These developments are an indication that the increased and advancing use of genetic engineering has a potential to improve the overall quality of life which allows people to have a longer lifespan.
However, the benefits of genetic engineering have their own perils with its consequences raising many social and ethical concerns. For instance, human right activist are against genetic engineering because they argue that it violates the rights of the child especially in situations where there is a genetic mix up without the consent of the child who may develop complication as a result of the procedures later in life. Other concerns include the fact that genetic engineering is a very expensive procedure, which means that only a few individuals can afford it, a factor that makes it only a preserve for the rich. As such, despite the numerous benefits associated with genetic engineering, the consequences that come with this technology are very severe which means that it should be banned.
Argument
Genetic engineering violates the rights of the unborn children because they acquire a genetic composition that gives extraordinary human capabilities without their consent. Proponents of genetic engineering argue that it serves to advance on the current human capabilities with the offspring of its process having the ability to easily perform tasks that ordinary human struggle with. Conner (2017) argues that adopting genetic engineering will help scientist cure genetic diseases while still at the embryo stage of a child through the germ like therapy process, a technique that has already succeeded in animals but hasn’t been legalized in humans yet. Moreover, Ly (2011) adds that the objective is to select specific genetic qualities from parents to create a child with their desirable or predetermined qualities. However, many sociologist and philosophers have criticized these intentions arguing that it demeans human dignity describing it as a pursuit for perfection in vanity (Cussins, 2017). In addition, the child rights are violated in the sense that they end up acquiring qualities that they might not desire in their adult life which demeans their human dignify especially if the process results in complications. For these reasons, despite genetic engineering having its benefits, it should be discouraged because it demeans human dignity.
Genetic engineering is a very expensive process which makes it only a preserve only for the rich. This means that legalizing the process would only make it accessible to a few people who can afford the large sums of money required to acquire a factor that is very unfair to the society. Conner (2017) argues that legalizing genetic engineering will mean that only the wealth will have the advantage of siring children with superhuman capabilities and will have an unfair advantage over the poor who will sire inferior children. Furthermore, Regalado (2015) argues that adopting this technology will widen the existing social gap between the rich and the poor especially that now the rich will have supernatural abilities. Based on these arguments, genetic engineering should be discouraged because of its potential to create an unfair advantage between the rich and the poor since the technology is only accessible to the rich. Moreover, the technology’s potential to expand on the existing social gap means that the rich will likely get richer while the poor get poorer even in future generations.
From an ethical perspective, genetic engineering will result in the creation of designer babies which would commercialize the process of child birth, a practice that is very unethical. According to Khazan (2014), genetic engineering goes against nature expectations and religious beliefs in regards to the reproductive process because it gives man the ability to manufacture children like any other material product in industries. Such a process would result in commercialization of the child bearing process, a factor that is very demeaning to the human dignity. Moreover, the overall value of life and especially the child bearing process would lose its meaning leading to the society recognizing life as sacred. From these findings, legalizing genetic engineering would be equated to authorizing a new business that is focused on creation or ‘manufacture’ of human beings. Such a process would be very unethical and devalue human life, a factor that emphasizing on the reason why genetic engineering should be discouraged.
Despite its criticism, proponents of genetic engineering suggest that the technology can be used to prevent diseases and promote the overall well being of the society. Some studies suggests that by embracing genetic engineering, it will lead to the birth of offspring with strong genes that are very resistant to diseases, a feature that would result in the creation of perfect families. Regalado (2015) argues that adopting genetic engineering would result in a society where people are smatter because they have enhanced genetic abilities and would help some of the challenges the world is facing today. However, critics of this approach argue that the technology would destroy human diversity mainly because children would be born with predetermined genetic characteristics thus eliminating the diverse nature of humanity. As such, though proponents of genetic engineering site its benefits as a justification for why it should be adopted, the technology also has very many drawbacks that could end up demeaning human dignity, a factor that explains why it should be discouraged.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, genetic engineering has numerous benefits but the consequences of adopting this technology have the potential to create bigger challenges than its benefits, a factor that discourages the adoption of this technology. For instance, the child rights are violated especially if they end up acquiring qualities that they might not desire in their adult life which demeans their human dignify especially if the process results in complications. Genetic engineering is a very expensive process which makes it only a preserve only for the rich and would contribute to social inequalities. Moreover, adopting genetic engineering would result in commercialization of the child bearing process, a factor that is very demeaning to the human dignity. As such, there is enough proof to show why genetic engineering should be discouraged.
References
Conner, S. (2017, July 26). First Human Embryos Edited in U.S. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608350/first-human-embryos-edited-in-us/
Regalado, A. (2015, March 5). Engineering the Perfect Baby. Retrieved July 21, 2019 from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/535661/engineering-the-perfect-baby/
Khazan, O. (2014, July 03). We’re Already Designing Babies. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/were-already-designing-babies/373896/
Cussins, J. (2017, April 6). 3-Person IVF Retrieved July 21, 2019, from
https://www.geneticsandsociety.org/biopolitical-times/3-person-ivf-putting-first-legal-
Genetic-modification-babies-context
Ly, S. (2011, March 31). The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies
