The Genetic Engineering Debate Essay - 1411 Words

In recent discussions of genetic engineering, a controversial issue has been whether genetic engineering is ethical or not. In â€Å"The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering,† JC Polkinghorne discusses about the moral status of the very early embryo and therapeutic cloning. J. H. Brooke’s article â€Å"Commentary on: The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering† comments and state opinions that counter Polkinghorne’s article. On the other hand John Harris’s â€Å"â€Å"Goodbye Dolly?† The Ethics of Human Cloning† examines â€Å"the possible uses and abuses of human cloning and draw out the principal ethical dimensions, both of what might be done and its meaning, and of public and official response† (353). While in C. Cameron and R. Williamson’s article, â€Å"In†¦show more content†¦They concluded that a human embryo and a â€Å"dolly embryo† acquire respect differently. A â€Å"dolly† embryo is no different genetically when in the laboratory from the somatic cell from which it is derived from. A somatic cell is any cell of a plant or an animal other than a germ cell. A human embryo acquires respect when it meets the criteria that â€Å"its development status of the embryo, the embryo’s potential, and the value of the embryo to other people or to themselves† (Cameron and Williamson 218). When dealing with a â€Å"dolly embryo† it obtains dignity/respect â€Å"upon the successful act of implantation, because after implantation development takes place which, if uninterrupted, leads to the birth of a human being† (Cameron and Williamson 218). I agree with Cameron and Williamson that a human embryo and a â€Å"dolly† embryo differentiate when they acquire dignity/respect. A human embryo is formed during fertilization, while a â€Å"dolly† embryo doesn’t require fertilization to become an embryo. Fertilization is the action or process of fertilizing an egg, female animal, or plant, involving the fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote. Since fertilization does not take place, it makes it hard to tell when life begins in a â€Å"dolly† embryo. J. H. Brooke argues in her article â€Å"Commentary on: The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering† that dignity is ascribed to an embryo not given, or that someone has to give the embryo dignity for itShow MoreRelatedThe Debate On Human Genetic Engineering2124 Words   |  9 PagesLong Stance Paper on Human Genetic Engineering The debate on whether human genetic engineering should be researched and used as the main alternative solution to disease have been going on since the creation of the human genetic engineering phenomenon. The ethical question is clear: should money be invested in human genetic engineering and should we research it at all, even if it is formally criticized by all monotheistic religions? The ethical principles in conflict are beneficence (people withRead MoreThe Debate Over Genetic Engineering1772 Words   |  8 Pages Over the past few decades genetic engineering has caused plenty of controversy not only in politics, but as well as in science and the lives of everyday people. Controversy is not new to this subject, in fact it has a rich history of it, from cloning to patenting several types of DNA. Some scientist in this field even oppose this subject. While there are many cons in this subject such as people taking advantage over the technology, there are also a lot of pros that c ome out of it and has helpedRead MoreThe Human Genetic Engineering Debate Essay1823 Words   |  8 Pagesin astronomy, chemistry, geology, paleontology, and many more scientific fields. However, some of the fastest growing subjects are in the field of biological sciences, more specifically genetics. Over the past twenty years a new genetic science known as genetic engineering has come to prominence. Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genome using biotechnology, including a human’s genome. As a result, scientists have begun to experiment with altering human traits, known asRead MoreThe Debate for Genetic Engineering Exposed in Gattaca Essay605 Words   |  3 Pageshuman ingenuity. We live in a world where babies are left to chance and genetic metaling is frowned upon, but in Gattaca that idea is flipped. Society judges those who are left to God as inferior. How can one be judged for the decision of their parents? Science is moving into un charted territory, where we might be able to create â€Å"super humans† as depicted in the movie. Gattaca revealed both the pros and cons of genetic engineering in science. Humans are not meant to alter Mother Nature, or they haveRead MoreEssay on Genetic Engineering Should Not be Banned1641 Words   |  7 PagesGenetic Engineering Should Not be Banned Genetic engineering is a hotly-debated topic. On the one hand, giant corporations, ambitious scientists and powerful politicians are pushing forward with projects they claim will benefit mankind, and on the other, public opinion, environmentalists and consumers associations are concerned that these projects are insufficiently safeguarded and pose irreversible risks to life on this planet. In this paper I will set out the main issues in the debateRead MoreThe Controversy Of Genetic Engineering1369 Words   |  6 Pages Genetic Engineering, for most individuals not knowledgeable on the topic, conjures visions of sci-fi movies and humans being grown in a lab far off in the future. What more and more individuals in the early 21st century are coming to realize is that Genetic Engineering has already exceeded our wildest imaginations in a dark corner of a lab, outside of the view of the main stream public. Indeed, in 2017, genetic engineering is in full swing on both plant and animal life. Only from hearingRead MoreThe Future of Genetic Engineering in Babie Is in Our Hands Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesBabies Group The Future of Genetic Engineering in Babies is in Our Hands The idea of designer babies has been around for a very long time, in various media, video games all the way to on-screen movies. Only recently through massive breakthrough of technology and science can genetically modified babies actually be possible for the future. The definition of the expression ‘designer baby’ is â€Å"a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with invitro fertilizationRead MoreSale - Pro Plans Are 20% Off Today View Plans. Gradeproof1164 Words   |  5 PagesSentence Count: 28 Readability: 11.52 % Grade Level: 16.59 years Reading Time: 2 minutes Speaking Time: 4 minutes Type your title here... Genetic Engineering is a common theme of Gattaca, Splice, and Blade Runner. Gattaca takes place in a future where the best opportunities are given people that have the best genes, as a result from Genetic Engineering (cite). The main character Vincent has not been genetically engineered and has many health issues like Myopia (cite). He aspires to become anRead More Genetic Engineering: Our Key to a Better World Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pages What is genetic engineering one might ask and why is there so much moral controversy surrounding the topic? Genetic engineering as defined by Pete Moore, is the name given to a wide variety of techniques that have one thing in common: they all allow the biologist to take a gene from one cell and insert it into another (SS1). Such techniques included in genetic engineering (both good and bad) are, genetic screening both during the fetal stage and later in life, gene therapy, sex selectionRead MoreThe Importance Of Genetic Engineering1282 Words   |  6 PagesGenetic engineering is defined as the modification of the characteristics of an organism by altering its genetic material. Although the definition makes it seems clear and concise, it is far more complicated. This new advancement has caused a huge debate over the ethics and laws of what it is able to do. Genetic engineering is immensely important because of the potential benefits it contains and the advances it allows for in the future. The ultimate goal of genetic engineering is to prevent, treat