Genetic Engineering
As we begin the twenty first century, many new technological advancements make themselves readily available to us. One such technological advancement is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the altering of human genes in order to perfect these genes, or change them completely. This new technology is very controversial, because it deals with things such as altering our own mortality and perhaps creating the "perfect human race." Some people however, feel that gene altering is a wonderful new prospect because it may allow us to prevent certain disease, and thus increase our life spans. Also, those that are for genetic engineering, believe that by choosing the genes we wish our children to have we will be able to correct certain birth defect and make everyone happy and healthy. The discovery of the ability to manipulate human genes first came with the development of the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project is a worldwide research setup to analyze the structure of human DNA, and also to locate all human genes, which in number are estimated to be as many as one hundred thousand (Intro to the World of Genome). The goal of this project is to locate
Advocates of gene altering feel that this new technology is beneficial to human life for two main reasons. First, these people feel that using the technology of gene altering to "design their own children" is beneficial because they will be able to perfect their genes and prevent them from being handicap from disease and disorders (Golden). Through the use of gene manipulation, such diseases as Down Syndrome can be prevented. By choosing the genes that their children will have, parents can be sure that their children will not be born with genetic disease, thus the human race will be much healthier. Another reason many people oppose genetic engineering is because they fear that someone will attempt to create a super race, by manipulating genes. Many people are still devastated by the actions of Adolph Hitler, and his attempt to create a superior human race of blond hair, blue-eyed children. With the new technology of genetic engineering, this could be possible. In the future, it is believed that we will be able to choose the hair, eye, and skin color of our children, if this is possible, then it would be completely logical to fear such a thing as gene altering. Opponents of genetic engineering fear that the power to alter physical characteristics could become dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. People are afraid that another leader will rise up, and with this new technology create one super race, and destroy all that do not conform to certain characteristics just as Hitler attempted to do decades earlier (Gardner). Finally, many people fear that through use of genetic engineering and genetic screening, people will be denied their right to privacy. With the discovery of the genome (a person's gene sequence) their traits could be easily accessed by the wrong people and used in improper ways. People fear that this new discovery of gene manipulation could mean that in the future only those with superior DNA will be given good jobs, and able to get ahead in life. By being able to gain access to a person's DNA, many people fear that there wi
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Approximate Word count = 1389
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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