In the movie Gattaca, a scientific fiction, directed by Andrew Niccol, the aspect of genetics has been portrayed to be either ethical or unethical. Vincent Anton Freeman genetically modified himself to be similar to Jerome Eugene Morrow. Vincent always had a passion in working in the aerospace corporation, however, with his health issues he had from birth; he was unable to be part of the company. For a while, he worked as a janitor in the aerospace company called Gattaca. After a few weeks of working and getting exposed to his future desires, he impersonates himself as Jerome in order to work there.…
Through this realisation he becomes an individual away from the intellectual obsolesce of society. In Gattaca - Vincent goes against a society where genetic engineering of humans is common and DNA plays the primary role in determining social class and employment…
Beating his brother made him realize he never had to give up on himself, and that despite what his genetics told people, he could do anything he set his mind to. Vincent hires a doctor that will genetically transform Vincent into a “valid” man named Jerome Eugene Morrow. Jerome is a very smart man, who was very successful in the sport of swimming. Jerome is very intelligent but also has seemed to have lost himself the day he won silver in his swim competition. Jerome is very suicidal, depressed, angry, and has become a very bad alcoholic.…
Listening for the Public Voice, by Robert Cook-Deegan and Jane Maienschein, discusses the issue of genetic engineering and the ethical dilemma and how the United States, government, and people are interacting in the struggle of the ethics behind genetic engineering. The authors present the facts that genetic engineering has laid in the grey area forever, and still continues to sit in that grey area. Genetic Engineering will occasionally find itself in the news and the argument reignites but falls flat within a couple of weeks waiting till the next breakthrough arises. Cook-Deegan and Maienschein stats some of the most recent progress in genetic engineering, which brings into perspective the relevance, development, and the possibility that soon…
Stacy Gomez Biology 2 Mrs. Netri 6 June 2015 Gattaca: The Message of the Future After watching the movie Gattaca, it brought to reasoning that there were different ways of selection in every living organism. Gattaca is about a guy, Vincent Freeman, who is born and they detect that disorders will occur in his 30 years of living. His younger brother, Anton Freeman, is given the “good” genes by a process called artificial selection. Artificial selection is a process done by man, where they close the mating process and the traits that go along with it are chosen.…
The development of this technology will lead to a society gap between those who are genetically enhanced and those who have “natural genes”. Additionally, this manipulation will also deprive a child from its natural rights and will cause hardships in the future. Lastly, genetic engineering has the potential of ending the life of the embryo due to its relatively new technology. This manipulation of genes will result in catastrophic outcomes that will harm…
Walter Glannon explores several moral problems with genetic enhancement in his article “Genetic Enhancement,” published in Glannon’s book, From Genes and Future people: Philosophical Issues in Human Genetics (and later in Bioethics Principles, Issues, and Cases.) Glannon believes that “gene therapy is permissible if it is intended to ensure or restore normal functions, but it is morally illegitimate if it is aimed at enhancing functions beyond normal.” (577) Glannon, a professor of bioethics and philosophy at the University of Calgary, holds the Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Ethics and Ethical Theory at the University of Calgary in Alberta. He is well known for publishing 4 books and over 27 articles related to bioethics and philosophy.…
Indeed, Gattaca resembles a not-too-distant future in a mostly dystopian environment for ordinary people while having some utopian elements for the genetically modified ones. The film displays the immoral aspects of science (Hadrien, 2013). In the movie, the human rights of having freedom of choosing the work, love and getting attention and respect from the others even from the parents are rejected. Although as Vincent believes ‘’ There is no gene for fate’’, the criterion of being selected to work in Gattaca is having the valid identity and it is not based on skills. Despite making all the so-called valids to their goals, the scientific community is unable to save the lives of the impaired valid humans such as Irene and Jerome.…
GATTACA is a movie about a dystopian future in the United States, many years from now, where people are judged based on their Genetics. Parents are able to visit Genetic Clinics where the sperm and egg are fertilized, and pick what traits they want their children to have, including resistance to disease, and genetic abnormalities. If I were President of the United States of America and was given a bill to allow Genetic Engineering, my decision would be to veto it immediately. I would veto this because I don’t want a society even remotely similar to GATTACA, because people are discriminated upon for things that they have no control over and cannot change. While I would veto this bill because of the cons, there would be pros to this for the short term and the long term.…
The scientific field is always expanding. Scientists are making new discoveries every day and are looking for ways to improve humanity itself, such as genetic engineering. The movie GATTACA is an example of how scientists used genetic engineering to improve humanity. In the future, this is how society could end up as well.…
Enhancing Society at a Cost In recent years, scientists developed genetic engineering in animals. Gene modification enhances animals by increasing fertility, and allows the possibility of cloning. However, cloning and designing animals leads to the application of genetic modification in humans. In Dinesh D’Souza’s essay, “Staying Human,” he reveals the positive and negative effects of genetic engineering, but he affirms the unethical application of genetic engineering.…
World Book Student defines genetic engineering as “techniques that alter the genes (hereditary material) or combination of genes in an organism… Beginning in the 1970’s, scientists developed ways to reintroduce individual genes into cells or into plants, animals, or other organisms” (Rubenstein, 2015). Genetic engineering is a controversial subject not only in science but also in popular culture. Some research, such as stem cell research, has led to serious questions concerning ethics. Other research, like the creation of genetically modified foods, has led to protest from those worried about potentially harmful effects on the environment and on the organisms that consume the foods.…
The program of genetic engineering in Lowry’s The Giver has common features like that of Brave New World but it takes a different course. In The Giver humans are genetically engineered to stop seeing differences and colors. The process of genetic engineering in this novel is made by genetic scientists who study human genes and attempt to eliminate differences or unique characteristics in these genes to make all people the same. The climate and topography are also scientifically controlled.…
Scientists are experimenting a lot of new methods that improves human health and upgrading technological advances. The findings from their experiments and research are revolutionizing the way how people are born and live . It is getting to the point where couples can modify an embryo to not have some sort of cancer and birth defects for an expensive cost. However, it doesn’t stop there because later on these couples will be able to modify and customize the embryo completely and make the perfect child that they wanted and wished for. This process that the couple can do is called genetic modification.…
The genetically designed will have the advantage in most situations such as sports, school, and life its self. The “normal” population will be the ones left behind trying the meet the same standards. Even if it is the next step for mankind, is it worth risking “playing God” (Long)? As Human genetic engineering continues to move forward, it will always bring the good and the bad along with it. It is up to us to choose to the risks or…