Genetic engineering, according to the Gale Encyclopaedia of Science, is the alteration of genetic material in living things with the aim of producing new substances or creating new functions. This report will focus on the specific aspect of human genetic engineering, also known as genetic modification. It is a socio-scientific issue that has a number of biological concepts, as well as implications both biologically and socially, whether they be positive or negative. There are also a number of people; scientists, doctors, church members, and ordinary members of society, who have opinions on the issue, such as Kathy Niakan and Marcy Darnovsky. I myself disagree with human genetic engineering, as will be explained, and propose a societal action …show more content…
UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights stated that the “human genome underlies the fundamental unity of all members of the human family, as well as the recognition of their inherent dignity and diversity.” Fundamentally, human genetic modification is believed to be a negative ethically, as it is likely it will cause a number of issues in society. For example, social inequality will be ripe when babies are being designed to be a certain way, and others are not. Lee Silver says of the issue that “…what we’re doing is we’re taking this basic principle upon which our society operates, a basic marketplace mentality—if you have the money, you can do it…. It’s going to make even worse the division between the haves and the have-nots in our society.” The procedure is very expensive, so there will be those wealthy enough to ‘purchase’ the genes that will be present in their offspring, and those who are not. This idea of wealth and superiority will be very present in society. A stigmatism will be formed that those whose genetic traits have been chosen are superior to those who are conceiving and having their children naturally; leaving the traits to God, luck, whatever it is that they believe in; rather than money and science. This social inequality would then lead to discrimination and conflict between groups, which is an issue that is commonplace enough in present day and doesn’t require heightening through another socio-scientific issue. Another social and ethical implication would be that of the relationship between parents and their children. If parents force their children into what has been considered a “predetermined biological mould” they are prevented from choosing their own future, and in addition it gives the parents an unrealistic idea of what their children will become. Although genes may