Pros And Cons Of Genetic Manipulation

Genetic engineering has been prevalent in society for hundreds of years, but most people just aren’t aware of how tremendous of an impact it has on people’s daily lives. Most of the produce that is sold in supermarkets has been genetically modified so much that it does not resemble an unmodified version of the same fruit or vegetable. Similarly, manipulating genetically modified bacteria into providing the needed insulin produces the insulin that diabetics take to regulate their blood sugar. Because both of these examples have more benefits that outweigh the negative sides of genetic manipulation, there is not much controversy. There is little to no harm to the original product, and the consumer does not suffer from any severe consequences after the original has been modified. However, once the idea of genetic manipulation on humans is suggested, it is immediately disregarded and deemed as unnatural. Similar to …show more content…
For example, a lab-created hormone, called Human Growth Hormone (HGH) was initially created as a treatment for dwarfism (Bender, 1998). Unfortunately, over the years HGH, has been repeatedly misused and turned into a cosmetic hormone. Similar to the twisted uses of HGH, it is a major concern that genetic engineering may attract the attention of young parents who want to make their child smarter, taller, more athletic, honest, or more responsible. Prevention of diseases is a huge component of genetic engineering because it the resulting manipulated DNA is going to affect later generations (Ritcher, 2016). Some agree that this could benefit our society by introducing more enlightened and intelligent people, but others are concerned that those who do not compare to this new standard of genetic perfection will be considered genetically