Genetic engineering has been advancing the human race through technology.
Many things were questionable, but none are as close to a certain technology today as genetic engineering. What exactly is genetic engineering? To put it shortly, scientists splice, alter, and manipulate genes of one thing to their desired outcome, and even insert that gene into a foreign host. This technological tool is too powerful for us to handle. It is advancing faster than we can expect. Because of this fact, genetic engineering raises many moral and ethical issues while also showing signs of many dangers.
This controversial technology can be looked at in two ways: religiously and scientifically and economically. Let’s first discuss the religious point of view on genetic engineering. With the current knowledge we have today in genetic engineering, life can easily be created and manipulated to one’s liking. How can one play God” by creating and altering life at one’s will and not feel guilty? Haven’t we learned that trying to be on the same level as God is a punishable act? Examples of this include the destruction of Babylon. People at that time tried to build a tower high enough to reach God, but it was destroyed as a punishment by God, warning us of what will happen if we try to become as powerful as Him. Some people say that God gave us the knowledge to discover, but we must use it responsibly.
If this is true, did God give us the knowledge to make the atom bomb, allowing us to wipe out cities and countless lives in an instant? Did God give us the knowledge to create deadly biological weapons to kill each other with? And did God give us the knowledge to be so advanced in warfare today that the world could be destroyed in minutes? No, God did not give us the knowledge to do these things, nor did He give us the knowledge for genetic engineering. Man ignorantly chooses his own path and ventures out to do things that are wrong. Therefore, who are we to decide a baby’s sex, appearance, or skills? These are just a few of the many questions raised from a religious point of view. Moving on, there is the scientific and economic view. One goal of genetic engineering is to make products more efficient, such as crops and other plants that have been experimented on and even released into the environment.
This is especially dangerous because scientists are not fully sure of what could go wrong. A genetically altered crop or plant could become dominant and take over all of its like species and become a major pest. There have been many cases where non-indigenous plants introduced into a different environment served no use and became major pest problems. But even more dangerous are genetically altered humans.
The functions of all the genes are not known. Only a very small percentage of the total genes in organisms, such as humans, have known functions. So why would a scientist take a risk without knowing the full potential dangers, such as having an effect on other genes? Privacy is also a major concern. What if a single drop of a person’s blood could reveal all their genetic faults? When will we wake up in a world where everyone has permanent records of their genetic defects and susceptibilities? What if insurance companies obtained these records? Could people be refused health insurance because of their genetic profile? There are many examples of people being refused healthcare due to genetic screening. In a recent poll in Time magazine, the question was asked if a person whose genetic profile shows potential problems should pay higher health insurance rates than someone whose profile does not. Only 8% answered yes, while the majority, 88%, said no. Obviously, even the majority of this nation does not want to be genetically profiled.
One recent controversy that has come up is cloning. Scientists are able to make an exact copy of an organism with its DNA. Sheep and monkeys have already been successfully cloned, and with current technology, humans could also be cloned. This raises ethical and moral issues because many questions would be raised about the clone.
What will be the purpose of making exact human copies? We might even get to a point where humans are cloned for specific duties or even for body parts needed by organ recipients. What rights would that clone have? Maybe the same as everyone, or maybe not. This is something that we as humans should never experiment with or attempt. To conclude, genetic engineering is a tool that is too powerful for any man to handle. It is too dangerous and crosses many moral and ethical issues. Do we want to perfect ourselves to immortality? Such things are not meant to be handled by mere mortals like us.
We should let nature take its course as it has for many successful generations.
