Reasons Why Genetic Engineering Should Be Banned

Introduction

The Darwinian evolution focused on which species where going to get preserved through mutations from the pressures in the environment. Civilization then helped us alter the ecological environment in which we lived. Finally we are now entering a stage which many might call evolution by design. We are now able to design the very life forms which inhibit this planet. Questions about animal cruelty, ethics, and regulation all arise and present very interesting predictions on human engineering. This will be a long road of moral questions and it is only beginning.

Discussion

The suppliers are very successful in genetically engineering animals. Dolly took 277 attempts to create a decade ago. (Morelle). Now many states allow the sale of glowing animals. The industry can make animals produce certain types of drugs or chemicals in the milk or the blood that they need. The military has created a chip that inserts into the brain of larva before it is born in order to manipulate the flight. A mouse could be used as a spy. Another incredible advance in genetic engineering is the ability to combine xenotransplantation and phsyciotechnology to make animals grow parts we desire. All of these facts should raise high concerns for how we treat our beloved, adorable, and defenseless companions.

In the not so distant future when human engineering will be a reality couples who are infertile will battle for the rights to engineer a child even if it is nationally illegal. (48). Problems would arise when a couple would want someone if the family to donate a gamete, but other family members would complicate this type of association. Underground black markets could spun because some billionaire wants spare parts. Solidarity will be rampant.

The population will divide into two groups which one would consist of clones and the other of imperfection. A major ethical issue here is the psychological well-being of the clone. A clone might even turn so evil that there would be no way of figuring out which one was really responsible for wrong doing. As long as people who believe in creationism exist, there will always be a halt like with the stem cell research, and they might be right to protest. Telomeres are an essential part in determining how our cells age. They are at the end of all DNA and they protect the chromosomes.

The telomeres sequence is used every time a cell divides. As the subjects get older the sequence gets shorter, this would explain aging and ultimately death. A clone of an animal that is diverted from an older cell has a shorter strand. The clone cell would have gone through many stages and therefore life is taken away. The clone might even be unhealthy throughout its life. A double is not good to have for humans and will especially turn to a life of crime.

With so many negative things and uncertainties we face the answers have to be decided sooner than we think. If human cloning was possible and commercials said 99.9% of the customers are satisfied then everyone would do it. Knowing that your child will be faster, stronger, and smarter is what every good parent would wants. Just imagine your child never being predisposed to medical conditions such as allergies, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s, or your child would have a stronger skull or spine, or even a child that is capable of learning three times as fast than anyone else in the classroom.

Biopolitics will always be involved in this and just like with liquor the cloning laws with roll in like an avalanche. We could be just jumping head by saying that someone has already cloned a human, but it would not be that surprising in this age and time. The system is slowing down in keeping up with technology. Just about anyone with three hundred dollars can purchase a spy drone and go snooping through the windows in the surrounding neighborhoods. The scary part is that this process is only accelerating and those citizens who uphold the law will have to accelerate with it.

Apart from animal and human engineering, another great topic is the genetic engineering of food. With this there are even more bizarre problems. Weeds, critters, and parasites are becoming more immune to fertilizer so more and more barrels have to be dumped on our food to keep the fields growing. This eventually circulates through the water channels like prescription drugs and one day, in the not so distance future, the wrong bug is going to meet the wrong chemical and the wrong person will get bit. What kind of a bio-engineered disease will challenge us tomorrow will feel like it might be the last problem before we get thrown into a fiefdom state.

There are so many problems with genetic engineering that it was hard to find the positives. Without the satisfactory results we are just torturing animals, creating problems within the society, and it will probably end up being illegal with humans anyways. The road is still far ahead and I just hope for the best. This is a new form of racism. No longer will a person be racist against different color, culture, or beliefs, but rather perfection of the mind and body. It is almost like we are once again going back to the Darwinian evolution. This time the engineered human who is stronger will also be smarter. The poor will once again be left behind like they have been in every part of history. Insurance companies I’m sure will be doing more than fine.

Timothy Caulfield states the whole fabric of society will collapse due to a loss in dignity. If everyone is perfect than no one is, during which point classes will have to be changed, after which we might start actually being like ants. This will be more like a utopia. Only morals will separate people in this state. Before we get lost in science fiction I would like to conclude with the statement that all genetic engineering should be made illegal on this planet.