Genetic Engineering

Genetically Engineered Humans

Section 1

Genetic engineering is the alteration of an organism's genetic or hereditary material to eliminate undesirable characteristics, or to produce desirable new ones. (McCuen 1) This is just one of many controversial issues's that involves changing what a person is supposed to be like, or look like. The reason that I chose this topic for research is one that is very personal to me. Two years ago my father was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder known as ellers danlos syndrome. This is a disease that affects your tissue and breaks down the walls of your organs. Due to this disease my father has suffered two major strokes, has undergone three surgeries, and is on several different types of medication that he has to take daily. Neither me nor my sister have been checked to see whether or not we have this disease but there is a 50 percent chance that I'm either a carrier or I have the disease. Genetic engineering could potentially be something that I look into once I am ready to have children.

Unfortunately I know it's too late for any genetic enhancement for my father and I, and hopefully neither me nor my sister have the disease. My decision to research this topic has come from my experiences through taking care of my father and watching the struggles he has gone through. If there is any way that I can prevent something like this from happening to my children then I definitely want to pursue that option. Not only could genetic engineering have an impact on my children, but it would have the biggest impact on society. This is another reason that I chose to look deeper into this topic, because I'm always thinking about what advances in science will happen in the future. The impacts that genetic engineering could have are endless, and they are both positive and negative. By researching this topic I hope to gain the knowledge that I need to get some idea of how fast the field of genetic engineering is growing. I also want to learn about what kinds of diseases it could possibly cure, the positive and negative types of genetic engineering, and the ethics involved with such a process. And the overall question that I will answer is which of the two types of genetic engineering will be most beneficial to society?

Section 2

Genetic engineering is perhaps one of the most controversial subjects in today's scientific world. My position pertaining to genetic engineering is if it is used only to correct hereditary defects and diseases then I support it. But I do not support genetically enhancing human traits because that is completely unnecessary and would only cause controversy. Throughout the course of this paper I will be referring to two different types of genetic engineering. These types are known as "negative" and "positive" genetic modification, negative genetic modification has been defined as the correction of a genetic disease, while positive modification has been defined as the attempt to enhance human ability beyond its normal limits. (McCuen 3) Obviously I support negative genetic modification and I do not support positive genetic modification. My goal is to show how genetic engineering will help society and benefit all of humanity if it is used correctly. First I will discuss what exactly genetic engineering is and what I believe its effects on society will be. I will explain my reasoning for supporting negative genetic modification instead of positive genetic modification. And meanwhile I will take a look at the issues with the ethics and morals of genetically engineering humans, and why I think that it is morally acceptable in some cases and not acceptable in others.

What exactly is genetic engineering? Well, in genetic engineering scientists use restriction enzymes to isolate a segment of DNA that contains a gene of interest. Then a plasmid which is a small, molecule of DNA, which is the hereditary material in all living cells, is extracted from a bacterium and treated with the same restriction enzyme that can hybridize with this fragment's ends of complementary DNA. Then the hybrid plasmid is reincorporated into the bacterial cell, where it replicates as part of the cell's DNA. And a large number of cells can be cultured and their gene products extracted for human use. (Weatherall 1) Genetic engineering is used to diagnose disease, improve medical treatment, produce vaccines and other useful drugs, cure birth defects, and to enhance human traits. (Weatherall 3)

There are many ethical and social issues involved with genetic enhancement. Issues where genetic engineering can correct severe hereditary defects have caused some controversy, but it is something that I support. Many people believe that if a person was meant to have a certain defect then that is their future and that is what is meant to happen to them. I am not opposed to genetically altering someone's DNA so that they could live a normal life instead of living a life filled with pain and suffering. Personally if I knew that my child was going to be born with some disease that would cause them any pain throughout their life then I would definitely have their DNA altered so they could live a normal healthy life.

One of the questions that I have been wondering is what kinds of diseases could genetic engineering possibly cure? Does it have any limitations? I found that genetic engineering could lead to the treatment or prevention of hereditary diseases such as; cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and hemophilia. Also genetic engineering could be the cure for Fragile X Syndrome and Down syndrome which are both forms of inherited mental retardation (Weatherall 2). Additionally I found that scientists are currently looking trying to find a cure for AIDS and various types of cancer through genetic engineering. I support all of these studies 100 percent because all of these diseases are life threatening and if there is any way to prevent them then it should be done.

Now finally after explaining what genetic engineering entails, I will explain why I believe that if it used for the correct reasons then it will benefit mankind greatly. My opinion is that gene-technologies can, and probably will, give people longer, healthier lives, with more choices and greater happiness. In fact, these technologies offer the possibility that we will be able to experience utilities greater and more intense than those that are currently available. Genetic technology will bring advances in pharmaceuticals and the therapeutic treatment of disease, defeating many illnesses and forms of suffering. (Chrousto 2)

Genetic technology does promise to create