Advances in the world of biotechnology have led many people
in today’s world questioning what the word “life” really means.
The first controversial event that I can remember in my
lifetime was the cloning of the sheep “Dolly”. Dolly is the first mammal to be
cloned from an adult somatic cell using the process of nuclear transfer. The
cloning of Dolly caused an emotional stir and led many to think, “If we are
starting to clone animals, are humans next?”
A short video on how they cloned Dolly the sheep.
Creating the perfect baby is a relatively new topic of
interest. If parents were given the option, should they choose what color eyes
and hair their child would have? A majority of the population believes that
this is morally wrong and we are essentially messing with the creation of life.
However, people tend to change their minds when posed this question: If science
would allow you to genetically alter your baby so that it would not carry
specific gene diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes or congenital
abnormalities, would you? What about when deciding your child’s level of intellect?
These questions pose an extreme ethical dilemma.
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| Which pieces of your DNA would you choose for your baby? |
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| The science behind genetically modified babies |
According to the World Health Organization, “genetically
modified foods are foods derived from organisms whose DNA has been genetically
modified in a way that does not occur naturally. Surprisingly, genetically
modified foods are accepted in today’s society with the top ten being as
follows: salmon, animals feed, oils, soybean, golden rice, squash, tomatoes,
corn, potatoes, and sugar beets. Crops are the most natural thing that this
earth has to offer. If this is true, why do we see the need to genetically
modify them?
I think the biggest question to be asked regarding this
topic of biotechnology and art is, “Just because we are able to genetically
modify and produce unnatural things, should we?
2. The Cloning of Dolly the Sheep (Science Daily): http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/d/dolly_the_sheep.htm
3. Top 10 Genetically Modified Foods: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-genetically-modified-food-products.htm
4. Genetically Modified Babies: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/17/first-genetically-modified-babies-born.aspx
5. Should We Prohibit Genetically Engineered Babies?: http://www.npr.org/2013/02/15/172137776/should-we-prohibit-genetically-engineered-babies
Hi Sarah, the question you pose at the end of your blog post is very controversial and pertinent to this topic. Technology is so advanced, so genetic modification of the human genome is not a far fetched possibility. Personally, I feel that what you are born as is what you are meant to be. Genetic engineering to determine appearance and intelligence alters genetic variability and biodiversity. Without these, evolution of the human race takes a different route than it would. However, if I knew that my child would be born with a genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis, it would be hard for me to reject the possibility of changing this fate. This is why this is such an ethically touchy topic for me and all of society.
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting to read your post. I also remember the cloning of sheep "Dolly" from couple years ago. It is an ethical dilemma as mentioned in your blog. When talking about cloning, most people feel that they cannot mentally accept the cloning. However, if cloning is used in medical field to help cure diseases, most people would no longer be opposing the cloning process. Same as the creating perfect baby scenario. Many people are born with diseases, if we have the power to alter their genes and create the called "perfect baby", it is really hard to say no. At the same time, most people would say no if the reason behind changing genes is simply "I want a boy as opposed to girl" or "I want my baby to have bigger eyes."
I am ready to read your future blogs.
Best,
Sharon
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYour comment on being able to alter babies really intrigues me, I didn't know that this was a thing. I personally believe that altering babies is morally wrong, because birthing a child is a sacred moment for humans. Also, if we did alter babies, it would greatly lower the diversity of our population which is bad, especially in a diverse area such as Los Angeles. However, I do see how people would think it would be a cool thing to do, and would vote to be able to do it. Thank you sarah for bringing this up, it has really sparked my interest, and I'm excited to do more research on it.