Friday, July 19, 2019
Genetic Engineering is Unethical Essay -- Genetic Engineering is Immora
ââ¬Å"Just as the success of a corporate body in making money need not set the human condition ahead, neither does every scientific advance automatically make our lives more meaningful'; (Wald 45). These words were spoken by a Nobel Prize winning biologist and Harvard professor, George Wald, in a lecture given in 1976 on the Dangers of Genetic Engineering. This quotation states that incredible inventions, such as genetic engineering, are not always beneficial to society. Genetic engineering is ââ¬Å"altering the genetic material of cells and/or organisms in order to make them capable of making new substances or performing new functions'; (Wald 45). It is also one of the top controversial issues of the 20th century (Epstein 1). Many believe that continuing to provide genetically constructed inventions in this world is ethical, which means that these inventions conform to oneââ¬â¢s moral standards (Epstein 5). Others argue that such inventions as human clones, which are geneticall y constructed humans, and other genetically created figures, are wrong and should be stopped (Epstein 5). Overwhelming textual evidence proves that genetic engineering is not beneficial to society. Accordingly, genetic engineering is unethical and therefore should be stopped. One reason why genetic engineering should cease is because genetic engineering disrupts societyââ¬â¢s moral values and causes society to act out in destructive ways. An online survey done by Time Magazine in 1997, found that 11% of those who were interviewed believe that if clones are created in the future, the genetically created humans will only be good for ââ¬Å"target practice'; (Epstein 2). Another survey by the same magazine was conducted and found that 50% of those who were questioned believe that clones should be treated as lower beings and should not be given the same rights as unaltered humans (Epstein 2). Furthermore, a similar survey, completed by MacLeans Magazine in 1993, reported that 11% of those interviewed confirmed that if technology was able to change defects within their unborn child, they would not hesitate in changing the childââ¬â¢s genes in order for the child to be born ââ¬Å"normal'; (Epstein 3). The choice to create oneââ¬â¢s own child will have many believe that the better the genes, the better the child. These statistics, without a doubt, reveal that genetic engineering will be harmful to society if certain means... ...g'; (Bereano 18). One would think that people would have control over their own genes; however, that does not seem to be the case. Therefore, the rights to oneââ¬â¢s own identity will be abolished if human genes can be selected; thus, genetic engineering should be stopped, for it is unethical. Genetic engineering should be eradicated due to the fact that it is immoral. It is proven that such inventions as genetic engineering can negatively affect society and cause rash and inappropriate behavior. Also, genetic engineering involves altering natureââ¬â¢s balance, which is not the job of scientists, or society. Finally, genetic engineering can destroy oneââ¬â¢s sense of individuality and spoil Godââ¬â¢s plan of making all people unique. Because of these reasons, genetic engineering should be stopped. It is a bad science making a dangerous alliance with a bad business. Works Cited Bereano, Phillip L. ââ¬Å"Body and Soul: the Price of Biotech.'; Seattle Times. 20 Aug. 2005: 18-20. Epstein, Ron. Ethical Dangers of Genetic Engineering. à à à à à (http://online.sfsu.edu/~ron/gedanger.htm) (February 26, 2000). Wald, George. The Case Against Genetic Engineering. New Jersey: Englewoodà Cliffs, 2006.
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