The Pros And Cons Of The Human Genome Project

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According The National Human Genome Research Institute the Human Genome Project (HGP) was the international, collaborative research program whose goal was the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings. All our genes together are known as our “genome.”The genes are examined, and their bases described, researchers have to translate what their order means. A genome is the entire DNA in an organism, including its expressed genes. These genes carry the codes for making all the proteins the organism requires. These proteins determine everything from how the organism looks to how it behaves. The human genome consists of 50,000 to 100,000 genes located on 23 pairs of chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair is inherited from …show more content…
This allows scientists to develop drugs that are more effective for individuals with certain genes. Many of those opposed see it as genetic modification that is ruining the natural sequence. This makes it a very controversial topic that has people very passionate about their own positions on this issue.The study of genes has led to some privacy issues. This is a con because the HGP shares personal information with organizations and government agencies. This leads many to question whether there will come a time when genes will determine if you are given treatments. These privacy issues associated with the Human Genome Project are serious and must be addressed. As more is understood, more changes will be made. From the beginning, it has been understood that the Human Genome Project will have profound ethical, legal and social (ELS) implications; thus, between 3 and 5% of its budget has been devoted to the study of ELS issues. Ethical issues are generally defined as those raising questions concerning what is moral or right. Legal issues are those concerning the protections that laws or regulations should provide. Social issues are concerned with how events may affect society as a whole and individuals in society.(17) Clearly, these aspects of the HGP and its possible outcomes are not independent of each other.Many of the ELS implications are not new. The gene for Huntington’s disease was discovered in 1993, after a ten-year search following

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