Genetic Engineering Poses a Number of Worrying Problems, Both Moral and Practical. Discuss Some of These Problems and Suggest What Could Be Done to Overcome Them.
Genetic engineering is the scientific manipulation of genes in order to modify the offspring of an organism. It may work with plants, humans or other animals. However, the various forms of this technology have led many to argue that the manipulation of genes constitutes a threat to humans and disturb the delicate balance of biodiversity which exists in nature.
The main concern of human genetic engineering is that it may possibly change the genetic characteristics of unborn babies. It is widely argued that this technique will be used unnaturally and immorally; for example, parents choose their children’s characteristics. As a result, the features of our next generation are totally dependent on their parents’ subjective feelings and society's standards. Consequently, it may happen that two or more people may have identical features in the world. One way to combat this problem would be for the government to prohibit the use of this technique to choose a baby’s characteristics, in order to preserve the uniqueness of individuals. Consequently, this may not be used commercially, for example, to manufacture ‘superchildren’ with unnatural physical advantages.
Another negative impact is genetically modified organisms (GMOs) made for human consumption. These organisms retain some of the genetically modified DNA in the final products. Such remnants of genetic material are harmful to human health and can cause allergy or even death. The best way to solve this problem would be for the government to issue a set of guidelines for the labeling of GM food to provide truthful information about it. For instance, food items with 5% or more GM materials in their respective food ingredient(s) are required to be labelled as genetically modified in order to enhance consumers' knowledge. This guideline illustrates consumer rights to make an informed choice on GM food.
To sum up, it is clear that genetic engineering causes a number of potential problems for people in society. These
The main concern of human genetic engineering is that it may possibly change the genetic characteristics of unborn babies. It is widely argued that this technique will be used unnaturally and immorally; for example, parents choose their children’s characteristics. As a result, the features of our next generation are totally dependent on their parents’ subjective feelings and society's standards. Consequently, it may happen that two or more people may have identical features in the world. One way to combat this problem would be for the government to prohibit the use of this technique to choose a baby’s characteristics, in order to preserve the uniqueness of individuals. Consequently, this may not be used commercially, for example, to manufacture ‘superchildren’ with unnatural physical advantages.
Another negative impact is genetically modified organisms (GMOs) made for human consumption. These organisms retain some of the genetically modified DNA in the final products. Such remnants of genetic material are harmful to human health and can cause allergy or even death. The best way to solve this problem would be for the government to issue a set of guidelines for the labeling of GM food to provide truthful information about it. For instance, food items with 5% or more GM materials in their respective food ingredient(s) are required to be labelled as genetically modified in order to enhance consumers' knowledge. This guideline illustrates consumer rights to make an informed choice on GM food.
To sum up, it is clear that genetic engineering causes a number of potential problems for people in society. These