Biotechnology Essay How far will it go?Biotechnology has many uses, applications and the potential to change our world. Biotechnology is the term for managing human biological systems (Maugh, 2006). One use of biotechnology includes cell cultures, the growing of cells in a laboratory.
Biotechnologys main use is genetic engineering, which refers to altering the cells and genes of living organisms. Different uses of genetic engineering are gene therapy and agricultural purposes. Gene therapy is a medical procedure that introduces new genes into the body to fight diseases. There are many ways genetics can be used in agriculture such as changing the genetics of a plant to make them less susceptible to disease.
Other uses are increasing the shelf life of agricultural products, protein, enhancing the flavour of foods and making larger crops. Farmers are also using asexual reproduction to make more of the finest crops, for example farmers will asexually reproduce the best strawberry plants. Genetic engineering has huge potential and should be used to improve human health and preserve life but should not be used as a way for humans to try and perfect them selves. In agricultural genetic engineering should continue to progress but should be highly regulated.
Gene therapy should continue to progress to a point where it can safely cure many diseases and can cure paralysis. Gene therapy has many advantages; it has potential to cure many diseases such as cancer, AIDs and thousands of other genetic illnesses. Supporters of gene therapy point out its success in curing two American children DeSilva and Synthia Cutshall who were both treated for the same kind of disease and are still doing well (Facts on file, 2005). The use and development of gene therapy techniques should be allowed progress to a point where it is easily accessible and has a high success rate. In less serious illnesses and problems if an as effective alternative treatment is available, that should be used.
Gene therapy should only be used as a last resort to treat serious problems. Critics of gene therapy further caution that seeking to cure diseases raises the question of what is normal and what is abnormal in people; are disabilities traits that need to cured? (Facts, 2005). This raises many social and ethical questions that do not have a true answer but will have to be answered in order for genetic to continue to progress. A guideline to what a serious problem is should be put out by a third party non bias medically informed organization. Gene therapy has many positive uses but should at no point be viewed as a way to perfect one self. Gene therapy and genetics could advance to a point, where they can be used to give a person any traits they want.
If this were to happen many humans would try to use genetics as a way to try and perfect themselves. Genetics could become a similar procedure to plastic surgery. However gene therapy can go much further than current plastic surgery allowing people to change more than physical characteristics, you can change genes that govern height and intelligence. This could cause many social issues.
When scientists change organisms genes they are essentially playing god (facts on file, 2006). In 2005 McDonagh stated, When genetic engineers disregard reproductive boundaries they run the risk of compromising the richness of our natural bio diversity and creating genetic soup (facts on file, 2007). Using biotechnology as a way to try and perfect society would also start the debate of defining perfect, which is different in everyones eyes. Using biotechnology as a way to try and perfect oneself would create a new world standard of what is perfect creating much diversity between different social and economic classes.
At no point should any parent be able to pick the traits of their unborn baby and at no point should any human ever be able to pick a trait which they want or do not want. Those who could not afford to perfect themselves with gene therapy would not be given the same opportunities in life and could eventually be shunned or become outcasts from society. Biotechnology has many positive applications in agriculture. Accordingly the research and the production of .
