Genetically Modified Humans Is Bad Essays Example

The scientific advancement in the recent past has grown in leaps and bounds. The field of genetic engineering has not been left behind with some scientists attempting to use genetic knowledge to improve the human species in various ways. The big questions arising is whether there are enough justifiable reasons to so. The whole process is marred with various arguments and counter augments with the centre stage being the morality of genetically modified humans, and the potential risks. Genetic modification of humans has more potential risks than benefits.
First, it is worth noting that genetic modification of humans being is still at its experimental stage (“The ethics of Designer babies,” n.d). Due to this, there is no evidence of its success. Using humans for experimentation is one of the major concerns in science. In this case, the moral questions as to whether humans need to be modified are still debatable to say the least. A baby cannot have consent for alteration of the genetic makeup. Parents who may enter into consent on behalf of the children do so in disregard of the autonomy that any human being ought to have. Therefore, it is unethical for anyone to change the genetics of any child. Further, the process of genetic modification is potentially risky for both the child and the mother. During the process of changing, the fetus might be terminated or hurt to such extent that is irreversible. That causes more problems than solutions.
There is a potential danger of introducing a gap in the humans. If genetically modification change the pool of genes, there could be a gap from the past that might bring problems. It is possible that the modification of the genes might introduce lethal diseases that might wipe out the rest of the populations. Genetic modification occurs naturally and mixing the natural changes with man-made changes might prove difficult in future as the natural changes may not favor the man-made modifications. Everyone might want their children to be good looking with higher intelligence levels than the rest and hence, humans might be more similar something that is naturally not in favor of the human nature.
On the other hand, genetic modification humans have various potential benefits. First, it can increase the human lifespan by up to thirty years. Secondly, it is possible to remove possibilities of having disorders such as Downs’s syndrome that are genetically acquired (“Human Genetics,” n.d). These syndromes have been a problem since they have no cure since no one can change the genetics of a fully developed child or person. In this case, it would also be able to remove genetically acquired conditions, such as cancer risks, diabetes, anemia, obesity, mitochondria disease (Marcy Darnovsky, 2014), among others.
Genetic modification is not different from ideological modification from the society. Each one is brought up with particular systems of beliefs that one holds as true even when negatively affecting others. The ethical argument do not necessarily change the fact that there are benefits assisted with human genetic modifications, Considering that ethics are subjective, it is quite in order for those who wish to have their children genetically modify chose to do so with full knowledge of the risks. Ethics should not stop advancement in the society in as much as no one is forced to participate in genetic modification.
In conclusion, considering the benefits and the drawbacks, human genetic modification is potentially more harmful that it is beneficial at this time. Therefore, it is not right to enhance human being using genetic knowledge, at least for now. In future when the technology has advanced and better research has been done, perhaps, such would be the best method to cure some of the debilitating conditions in humans.

References

The ethics of Designer babies (n.d). THE PROS AND CONS OF “DESIGNER BABIES. Web. Retrieved on February 23, 2015 from https://designerbabiesethics.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/the-cons-of-designer-babies/
Human Genetics. (n.d). Human Genetic Engineering Pros and Cons. retrieved on February 23, 2015 from <http://humangenetic.org/human-genetic-engineering-pros-and-cons/>
Marcy Darnovsky (2014, FEB. 23). Genetically Modified Babies. The New York times 2014, FEB. 23. Retrieved on February 23, 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/24/opinion/genetically-modified-babies.html?_r=0