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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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Mankind has always been motivated by the desire for progress, accomplishment, and empowerment. The exceptionally steep rate of technological development during the twentieth century starting with the invention of the zeppelin in 1900 and advancing to the creation of more sophisticated technologies such as the world wide web is evidence of this truth. In the midst of all of these impressive innovations, biological scientists developed recombinant DNA techniques that gave them the power to alter genetic material. As biotechnology has become more refined and the application of genetic engineering in both agricultural and medical fields has become more common, the practice has fallen victim to harsh scientific and ethical scrutiny. The debate is

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Each person is genetically unique, not one person's genetic map will be identical to another. Recent advancements may be able to change that and change future generations completely. Genetically designed babies were once thought unachievable, but may or may not become a reality. The debate and rhetoric about continuing developments in genetically engineered designer baby’s ranges from those who fear negative complications to those who believe it could be a tremendous medical advancement.

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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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Genetic Engineering Designer Babies Have you ever wondered what a designer baby is? Well a designer baby a baby developing from an embryo created by in-vitro fertilization and selected because it had or lacked particular genes, the genetic makeup often having been modified by genetic engineering. This technology has made it possible for there to be a way for doctors to modify a baby 's characteristics and its health. This is important to some people because this process helps choose what type of baby you want“the perfect baby”. In my opinion I feel this process just makes the people who want it more satisfied with their child instead of enjoying their child’s original beauty.

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I think that genome editing or genome engineering could have the greatest impact on the future, as it imposes the idea of genetically altering the physical and internal functions of humans. Genetic engineering, the insertion, deletion, or replacement of DNA within the genome of a living organism, is already being speculated to be used in modifying children through prenatal genetic engineering. The only reason that further testing into this domain has not occurred to extreme extents is due to ethics. It is idealized as ethically wrong to screen pregnant women through prenatal testing for potential genetic complications within their potential child. However, in cases where the fetus has been screened to have missing genes for specific physical traits, a common debate today is whether genome engineering should be implemented to assure the correction of this potential birth defect.

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Genetic engineering is becoming more and more prevalent in decisions regarding the embryos of future children. Future parents should seriously consider whether genetic engineering in embryos is morally right because of social norms, the inaccuracy and dangers of some techniques, and breeding the perfect child. This paper will cover PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) and three different techniques that could alter the genetic makeup of a child along with rights and wrongs for them. PGD is the main part of all these techniques since the main reason of it is to diagnose whether there is mutations or genetic defects within the embryo. The process starts off by following a normal IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) process by exacting eggs from

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Scientists have modified Cas9, a specific enzyme in the molecular machinery, so that it activates gene expression rather than cutting the DNA (Pak, 2014). Although CRISPR has the potential to wipe out hereditary diseases, it also brings many consequences which need to be prevented before implementation. Technological advancements in the genetic engineering field should be impeded in America because of the unreadiness for implementation, potential social inequalities in the future, and ethical dilemmas. Scientific Unreadiness We are not ready for the implementation of the CRISPR/Cas9 method. In 2015, Puping Liang, a

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Tests have proven the genetic modifications as destructive towards the human body. “The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed.” This was all after 1996 introduced GMOs. The article also states, “... in the nine years following the introduction of GMOs in 1996 food allergies, disorders such as autism, and chronic illnesses increased sharply.” This change in genetics is creating many problems in the United States.

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Genetic engineering could theoretically eliminate the passing of “disease” genes. In addition, new products can be created. With genetic engineering, new products can be created by adding or combining different profiles together. This makes it possible for more people to get what they need nutritionally, even if their food access

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