Medical genetics

is even out of the womb. Numerous experiments and trials that have taken place over the past few decades have helped the medical community inch closer to answering the question. Although the idea of genetic modification of a child that is still in the womb sounds completely taboo and futuristic, going to a local hospital in order to choose the chromosomes for a child’s genetic blueprint may be closer to actualization than anticipated. Trials for this experiment have been tested over the last…

broken barriers when it comes to DNA, genetics and what are called “designer babies.” Stated in the Oxford dictionary, designer baby, by definition is: a baby whose genetic make-up has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure that a particular gene is present (Oxford Dictionary, 2017). This allows to pre-select embryos before implantation. While that sounds phenomenal, no disease has actually been cured necessarily, but through genetic engineering, scientist have…

in the hopes of eradicating genetic disorders, every individual is going to have a different opinion on the matter. This idea is observed in the two articles; “Gene Therapy: Human Germline Genetic Modifications– Assessing the Scientific, Socio-ethical and Religious Issues” by Qiana Matthews, PhD and David Curiel, MD, PhD and “Gene Therapy: Theoretical and Bioethics Concepts” written by Kevin Smith, PhD. Matthews and Curiel’s article was published in the Southern Medical Journal in 2007, while…

Imagine this; a world where no one has lifelong infections or medical conditions. This might be made possible soon; however, some are afraid that parents will take it too far. With enough money, they could transform their babies to be intelligent and good looking. In my opinion, genetic engineering should be allowed, but restrictions should be in place to stop parents from making super babies. Genetic engineering is the purposeful changing of an organism's DNA. It can be used in ways that…

Genetic and genome field development has been vastly expanded over the past decade and with its positive impact on areas of science, medicine, society there is also negative impact such as the ethical issues that can follow. The developments of new genetic technologies will raise some of these ethical issues that will affect the person as well as the society as the whole. In 2010 ethical issues was emerge as big controversial problem within the scientific community by Rebecca Skloot, the…

hospitals for their services. It is an industry that is increasingly concentrated and where Americans are paying more to receive less”(Dianne Feinstein). The medical field has lost the idea of devoting their work to finding a cure and started to be for profit for the interests of CEOs. The CEOs then make millions because of the overpriced medical care people receive. In her nonfiction work The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot intertwines diction, expert opinions, and court cases…

While the clinical validity of genetic tests is growing, there emerges a concern that the disclosure of individuals’ genetic test results could lead to discrimination by health insurers and employers (Hudson et al., 2008). Federal legislation addressed the protection of individuals’ genetic information by passing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) in May 2008. The law prohibits health insurers and employers from using an individual’s genetic information in making eligibility…

application of genetic engineering to the transplantation of gene into human cells in order to cure a disease caused by a genetic defect, as a missing enzyme” (Dictionary.com, 2005). This special field of medicine still holds promise for treating some types of genetic diseases, instead of just discovering their presence. Although this therapy is used as a positive solution to remedy some types of ailments, it can also be used for negative reasons which may cross ethical and medical…

The science fictional movie, Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol is set in a futuristic society where eugenics are the norm and where genetic engineering has created an extreme social divide. The film follows the story of Vincent Freeman, a genetically inferior member of society who takes on the role of genetically superior man in order to reach his goals and find freedom from the identity with which he was born. The parents of modern society should not be allowed to modify their children’s genes…

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…