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The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering

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Today, scientific research has progressed at a rapid pace and our lives are permeated by technology as never before. While this new world is full of potential rewards, it is also much more complicated. With every revolutionary invention, conservative politicians and religious groups lobby against it, seeking greater regulations in groundbreaking fields of research for fear that they would bring ethical problems. Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny and cease the march of science towards morally challenging waters and we must accept that many recent developments in science will soon become our new reality. It is important to weigh these ethical dilemmas in a future rife with opportunities and challenges.

Contrary to popular belief, biotechnology …show more content…

When it was produced in masses in 1942, it helped to save millions of lives worldwide. This set off great leaps in disease research, with the first recombinant human insulin produced in 1978, followed soon after by the eradication of smallpox through widespread vaccination in 1980. The 1990s marked an even more exciting decade for the field, with the first genes associated with breast cancer and Parkinson's disease in were discovered in 1994 and 1996 respectively. Biotechnology began its accelerating journey of improvement in this era, and was originally hailed as the new cure for the world. However, the controversy over genetic engineering was a large ethical milestone in the progress of …show more content…

In the past, genetic engineering was a slow arduous process that cost millions of dollars. In 2012, a genetic engineering technique called CRISPR was discovered, allowing scientists to edit specific genome sequences cheaply and easily.

CRISPR will allow scientists to eradicate genetic diseases and even combat cancer, but it may be used for more morally dubious purposes such as creating designer babies. Being a platform for human enhancement, genetic engineering is a slippery slope and can exacerbate the gap between the rich and poor. As it is likely that only the wealthy can afford designer babies, systematic issues of inequality will be worsened if genetic engineering is totally

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Selective breeding in animals and agriculture are both benign and accepted practices, but still fall under the umbrella of biotechnology. Therefore, it is important before making an ethical analysis to differentiate between benign and intrusive biotechnology. That divide is where genetic engineering comes in. Genetic engineering, the “scary” type of biotechnology, is the practice of altering an organism’s DNA to give it the preferred genes. This practice has led to much good, such as making crops bug resistant, dispelling the need for harmful pesticides, or curing immune diseases, but there is also potential for harm.

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