Genetic Engineering in Humans

By:  Brent Hardy

 

 

                It has come into great controversy over whether or not genetic engineering should be practiced on humans.  As Stephen P. Stich said, "Genetic engineering poses moral and social deliminas every bit as daunting as the rewards are enticing."  And this is true.  There are great rewards for people willing to take severe risks.  And risks must be taken for benefits such as this.

            I don't think genetic engineering is a good idea morally.  It is altering things beyond human comprehension.  It will end up destroying life as we know it as well as adding to the decay of moral structures to the point where people think of themselves as gods with the power to create and change life at will.

            However, my intellectual side screams for advancement.  With the power to control genes, we could overcome all types of disadvantages.  We could engineer fetuses to have good, healthy genes, replacing the diseased ones, and cure babies before they are even born!  We could cure Huntington's disease, Down syndrome, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis.  We could dramatically lower the chance of aquiring cancer, heart disease, strokes, and possible psychological disorders.  We could even reduce the chance of the person having criminal behavior.

            All in all this would be a great boon.  But what if it gets to the point where parents can custom- design their children?  Does that make us any different from the Nazi regime during World War II?  They killed the Jews because they were seen as inferior.  Should we be able to prevent a personality from coming into being because it has the possibility of being rebellious, being overweight, or even having the wrong hair color?  It would be changing people from the way they were meant to be!

            Even if genetic engineering could fix all our problems, how would it be funded?  To this date, not one case of gene therapy has succeeded.  And there have been hundreds of tries.  Should money be taken out of funds for the disabled and those that suffer from genetic disorders and used to fund research?  This could be a futile effort, because it may amount to nothing.  Or should the government pay because it will keep a disabling disease from spreading through the population via the affected person's offspring?  All these questions must be answered before genetic engineering will be made available to the public.

            Despite the potential gains of genetic engineering, I think we should keep from tampering with nature.  There is the possibility of creating a society of "perfect" beings and destroying everything that makes us unique - our faults.  In the future, we may reach a state where we will not abuse the techniques of gene therapy, but as of this day and age, we cannot handle the responsibilities.