Human Genetic Engineering

[smizzy]

During class today, we were given this article to look at and debate.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/fertility-clinic-offers-gender-selection-draws-women-abroad/story?id=17219176

Dr. Steinberg runs a clinic that promises to be able to give couples the ability to choose their babys' gender with 99% accuracy.

This at first glance sounds like a blessing for a couple who really desire a boy or a girl. But there are other issues that can stem from tampering with genes. The religious don't like the idea of someone 'playing the role of God'. One of the secular views is that it's dangerous because of the possibility of screwing up and harming a child.

But with the ability to do this, doctors have created breast cancer-proof children as well. The supporters of the trait believe there are many deceases that can be prevented among children with this practice.

Of course, someone is bound to take advantage of this and attempt to make a "perfect" human. Also, people seem to dislike the idea of "ordering" a human. 'Tall, dark hair, hazel eyes, athletic, intelligent.'

I'm weary of the practice and don't have much of an opinion other than if it should be allowed, it should be monitored and limited.

 

[Xemmy]

One thing the article mentions is that it helps with one child policy issues. What this does unfortunately is add the problem that the one child policy produces, which is an abundance of males, and not enough females. Which causes sex trafficing and kidnapping, and everything else that goes along with men treating women as a limited resource. This is just one problem that messing with genetics can cause, or at the very least add to. That aside, there are positives and negatives to anything of this nature. A disease free human race, people being more attractive, more intelligent. These aren't bad things. But at the same time, selection like that can lead to culture issues that we can't foresee yet. The same way no one in China's government seemed to foresee the issues with the one child policy. Baby girls in dumpsters, unsafe abortions, and the aforementioned sex-slave traffic. But science is science. The more we know, the better off we seem to be. At least that's how history has played out. Genetics should be monitored greatly, and used to it's fullest extent in the most positive ways, particularly with disease resistance.

The possibility of screwing up and harming a child is there in the natural process. People are born deformed every day. Messing with genetics may end up making that worse, or even better who knows? But if it does, you can bet people are going to be less likely to use genetics in the future. The product doesn't sell if it doesn't work. So I don't see a problem with it as far as that point goes.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yea, stupid. I was actually just discussing this with my significant other this weekend. People are born TG and gender-confused every day all on their own... switching their genetics and altering courses of nature which have been in place since the beginning of humans its just idiotic, and asking for trouble.

I dont have a problem with it from a religion / "playing god" standpoint, because fuck, doesn't medicine and abortion and etc etc fall under that catergory as well? I have a problem with it from a scientific standpoint, and from the arrogance of humans to think they have it "all figured out" and can do things that are far more complex than I think anyone can understand any time soon.