Genetic Engineering
Should we use new genetic information to alter our own DNA to make
ourselves
more adept? Last winter, scientist made a major break through in
genetic
engineering. They finished a complete map of DNA of a complex
organism. Although
the animal that they broke down is a simple flat worm,
over 40% of its DNA
sequence match our own. This is an astounding leap
forward for genetic
engineers. Genetic engineering is the use of lasers
and/or chemicals to alter
the sequences of nucleotides, which are the bases
of DNA. Many people throughout
the world greatly oppose genetic engineering.
Calling it "unethical",
"anti-Christianity" and "dangerous". I feel genetics
can
help us so much, all these controversies are nothing when amounted to
the
utopian health of the entire human race that could be achieved. Many of
the
Islamic countries have laws prohibiting such research in genetics.
The Islamic
holy book, The Koran, forbids any man from changing himself.
Allah, the Islamic
god, made the Muslim people in his own likeness and cast
away all people who
change his work. Likewise, in Christianity, God made Adam
and Eve in his
likeness. He also makes it that any man that changes the body
that the Father
has blessed him with shall be exiled away to Hell. I counter
this argument with
the question, If God and Allah loved their people so much,
then why did they let
their people become sick and have pain? I believe as a
Christian, God would not
have given us the knowledge to use genetics if he
did not want us to change
ourselves. The exact same theory applies to all
religions. We are only better
suiting ourselves to please our God. Ethics are
always a major factor in wars,
medicine and politics. Ethics play the part in
genetics by posing the question
"why?" Ethical oppressors believe that the
human race should be left
as is. They fear a "super-human race" taking over
the world and a new
type of racism and discrimination would result between
the new human race and
the old human race. I believe such a theory is very
foolish. Genetics can not be
used to make one more intelligent or faster
reacting. The genetics that
scientist are researching the genes that cause
genetic diseases, such as Down
Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, hemophilia and
color blindness. They are manipulating
DNA to take away diseases that
slow down progression and cause families to be
hurt. Imagine a world without
sickle-cell anemia, or Diabetes. A world where
cancer is very little known of
and when found can easily be treated by genetic
therapy. Little disease would
be tolerated in our bodies. Virus would be
destroyed by genetically
engineered white blood cells; AIDS would be cut down in
a few years. Life
expectancy would be almost 90 years old. Even the common cold
would be gone,
even with the viruses' constant mutations. One last fear of DNA
manipulation
is the fear of what if a bacteria or virus found a weakness? What
if an
epidemic started and spread fiercely that our great new genetically
enhanced
white blood cells could not handle? All of the human race would
be
susceptible to? True, it has happened in the past with corn that was
genetically
engineered. But such an epidemic is very highly unlikely. It did
happen in corn,
but that corn was merely an experiment. If we would do this
to ourselves, it
wouldn't be an experiment; it would be a medical treatment.
Where all possible
outside attacks would be known and could be stopped
quickly. There is no fear
that an epidemic would break out and it is
unrealistic that the entire human
race could be wiped out to the point of
extinction in a matter of a few weeks. I
feel genetic engineering can give us
so much. There are some good reasons why we
should not continue such
research, but I think that the positive effects of
making ourselves more
perfect are dominant over little ethical issues. With DNA
manipulation, we
can lead better, healthier, and longer lives. A utopian life of
health awaits
us ahead and such criticism can only delay and hurt ourselves.