Bernard Baruch, the first presidential advisor of both world wars, once said, “During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.” Technology should not be an excuse for unethical thinking. Ethics is the ideology that just because you can do something, does not mean you should. Antonio Regalado, the senior editor for biomedicine at MIT Technology Review, wrote, “ A group of senior American scientists and ethics experts are calling for a debate on the gene-engineering of humans, warning that technology able to change the DNA of future generations is now imminent.” Since we now have the technology,
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For example, according to “The Chart” from CNN News, “Thousands of genetic diseases could be detected in children while they are still in the fetal stage.” Over the last decade, researchers have created non intrusive pre-birth testing. This test can be utilized to figure out if the unborn embryo is experiencing various chromosomal peculiarities. In time, the test will turn out to be accessible by many, empowering specialists to screen unborn babies for around 3,500 hereditary issues. At the moment the only genetic disorder routinely tested for is Down’s syndrome (Designer Babies – Playing God in the Womb). Using this test could save many people’s lives, along with the time it takes for all the other “experiments,” like MRIs and CAT …show more content…
This would allow us to make all the changes we desire without any casualties. “Engineered artificial chromosomes that can be passed into the progeny of mice have been developed, and there are attempts to expand this research into humans as cell-mediated gene therapy and stem cell therapy, so this is not science fiction” (Genetic Engineering). Overall, I feel as though the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. In my opinion, there are too many risks to follow-through with this phenomenon. It concerns me when there is a possibility of death, especially with babies. Risking these lives is not moral. Maybe, just maybe, sometime in the future all of the positives will outweigh the negatives and make the editing of genes a dream come true and the heartbreak of many parents could eventually
For example, according to “The Chart” from CNN News, “Thousands of genetic diseases could be detected in children while they are still in the fetal stage.” Over the last decade, researchers have created non intrusive pre-birth testing. This test can be utilized to figure out if the unborn embryo is experiencing various chromosomal peculiarities. In time, the test will turn out to be accessible by many, empowering specialists to screen unborn babies for around 3,500 hereditary issues. At the moment the only genetic disorder routinely tested for is Down’s syndrome (Designer Babies – Playing God in the Womb). Using this test could save many people’s lives, along with the time it takes for all the other “experiments,” like MRIs and CAT …show more content…
This would allow us to make all the changes we desire without any casualties. “Engineered artificial chromosomes that can be passed into the progeny of mice have been developed, and there are attempts to expand this research into humans as cell-mediated gene therapy and stem cell therapy, so this is not science fiction” (Genetic Engineering). Overall, I feel as though the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. In my opinion, there are too many risks to follow-through with this phenomenon. It concerns me when there is a possibility of death, especially with babies. Risking these lives is not moral. Maybe, just maybe, sometime in the future all of the positives will outweigh the negatives and make the editing of genes a dream come true and the heartbreak of many parents could eventually