The Pros And Cons Of DNA Technology

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DNA technology is the study of genetic material. Scientists are now using DNA technology for a variety of purposes, for example cloning. Cloning is the process of making multiple or identical copies of a gene. DNA technology has had major impacts on agriculture, disease therapy, crime scene investigations and the pharmaceutical industry. But like anything in science it also has its ethical, legal, and social concerns that play a major part in our applications today. When the HGP the Human Genome Project was discussed people had many concerns about how genome material would be used and how individuals and humanity would be protected. The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Program (ELSI) were later established to address them. The ELSI …show more content…

(Klug, Pg. 595). The ELSI Program focuses on 4 main areas; one, a way to ensure that applicants risks and benefits of their contributions and giving informed agreement, two, discretion and fairness in the use and interpretation of genetic material, three, a way to transfer hereditary “knowledge from the research laboratory to clinical practice, and four public and qualified education” (Klug, Pg. 595). A majority of applied genetic tests has been used to provide patients and physicians with evidence to improve ones quality of life. Although there are benefits there are also consequences of genetic testing that aren’t always clear to patients and society. When it comes to biotechnology their issues that the public has a hard time putting their minds …show more content…

Preconception testing and baby prediction patents are becoming vary popular in identifying babies phenotypes through data sequencing samples of parents and in vitro fertilization for gender selection. Both of these procedure cause ethical concerns in the formation of designer babies. Ethically this violates justice/ fairness because it would generate a separation between those that can afford it and those that cannot. Hence, the wealthy would be able to afford the selection of desired traits in their offspring, while those of lower economic standards would not be able to access the same opportunities (The Embryo Project