Synthetic Biology: Ethical Dilemmas

In the afterward to this book, author Lee Silver, professor of molecular ecology and evolutionary biology and neuroscience at Princeton, states, "My goal has been to present both the scientific and the political realities of reprogenetic technologies as I see them, along with the ethical dilemmas their use will raise. I leave it to philosophers and bioethicists to figure out how these ethical dilemmas might be resolved." As the book opens, the reader is moved scene by scene further into the future when, ultimately, the development of genetic engineering and its accessability will have formed a world even more polarized

DNA are like legos, they work together to build the traits of living things. They are the building blocks of the body. Many scientists today have been figuring out different ways to manipulate, change, add, and subtract genes from the DNA in living things; this is process is called genetic engineering. Some of the living things being experimented on are live people, plants, and animals. Today scientists are debating on the morals of genetic engineering due to what the community thinks of it, because of the christian 's viewpoint of genetic engineering. To some christians it may pose a threat to their, but to others it may be a blessing or a gift. Genetic Engineering is a growing breakthrough in the science community. “Over the last 30 years, the field of genetic engineering has developed rapidly due to the greater understanding of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as the chemical double helix code from which genes are made. The term genetic engineering is used to describe the process by which the genetic makeup of an organism can be altered using “recombinant DNA technology.” This involves the use of laboratory tools to insert, alter, or cut out pieces of DNA that contain one or more genes of interest.”(Pocket K No. 17) Scientist have yet to unlock the full potential of genetic engineering, but the information and the use they have found for it today has reached farther than anyone 's expectations.

One of the most famous quotes from the movie “Jurassic Park” states as follows, “Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they did not stop to think if they should.” This quote by Jeff Goldblum not only interprets his characters wit, but also sparks an interesting debate. “Jurassic Park” brings the idea of genetic modification to people’s attention in an entertaining way. Amazingly, scientists and geneticists are able to alter specific genes, much like in the movie. Many benefits from altering genes exist, but some are viewed as morally unacceptable.

Genetic engineering is the figurehead of the ethical concerns of scientists in the 21st century. Nothing is more engrossed with criticism and dislike than the idea of altering the baseline for living organisms. Many people are skeptical of genetic engineering due to the versatility it exhibits. A scientist could use a genetic editing tool, such as CRISPR, to remove the genes for a hereditary disease in an embryo, but they could also utilize it to alter the physical characteristics of a human baby. This thought provoked the flood gates of ethics to unleash a multitude of unanswered questions and concerns about the usage and further development of genetic engineering. The field of genetic engineering is

“We can change animals faster and in more profound ways than nature does on its own, but the point is that there’s inherently sacred about a species genome- it’s an amorphous, ever changing thing.”(Anthes, 48) One of the biggest controversies of biotechnology is that people are getting God-like powers seems how now scientists are able to engineer new traits into animals. Is that wrong? Morally, maybe. The fact of the matter is whether it’s immoral or not, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years, but now just faster and actually more efficiently. Scientists don’t plan on worsening animals or abusing them. “If you’re going to modify a line of animals, the resultant animals should be no worse off from a welfare point of view – and preferably better.”(Bernard Rollin) If nations eventually accept biotechnology more openly, and simply apply regulations stating that one cannot produce an organism that is not better off than it was before. That would ensure the protection of animals from unnecessary handicapped lives, and then the FDA would be more comfortable with allowing these biotechnological advances to be released to the

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool that can be used to accomplish a multitude of tasks. From species population control to ensuring certain traits in a human baby, there isn’t a lot that genetic engineering can’t do. It is becoming more and more acceptable to genetically engineer organisms as our knowledge on the subject grows. There have been experiments manipulating entire ecosystems by introducing a genetically modified organism into it. It’s even possible to change tiny details all the way down to the color eyes a child has. However these developments are not without controversy. Many people claim that changing the genetic make-up of a living being is playing God, and are against it. The works of Kiera Butler, John J. Conley, Ronald Bailey, and Simon Wallace speak on the controversy as well as utility value of genetic engineering.

Social: There should be some sort of legal control/law that need to be placed on the company/group of scientists, so that in the event of an unforeseen consequence during the gene manipulation process such as mutations/diseases which is uncontrollable, they may be held liable. This would ensure society that they are trying to do the process properly and not follow any shortcuts. Furthermore, a review of the genetically modified product should be in place before it can be handled or distributed anywhere outside of the laboratory, again ensuring society that the transgenic mammals will do no harm.

The Biotech Century written by Jeremy Rifkin provides insight about the evolution of the earth. In our present time we are living in a pyrotechnology, Rifkin suggest that we are now heading toward a biotechnology age. There is a “new operational matrix” coming into play, which comes together from seven different variables. The biotechnology age represents a time when living material can be altered for economic cornucopia. The biotechnology era does promise a lot of advancement, but does not offer a predictive ecology. The advancement in science could cause a disruption in humanity, due to manipulation of living material. During the Biotech Century people are faced with Godly like choices, people will have the option to make a “perfect human” getting rid of all defects. While other people will be awarded patents for living material for commercial incentive.

Imagine the possibility of eliminating serious genetic diseases from the world. Imagine the idea of treating, preventing or even curing diseases that are yet to be cured. Imagine the feeling of being given improved health and a prolonged lifespan. This can all be accomplished with the aide of genetic engineering. Human genetic engineering refers to the process of directly manipulating human DNA to produce wanted results. DNA is a simple but very complex chemical that has the power to change the world and has begun to do so already. Many opponents to gene therapy fail to realize that genetic engineering has great potential to become very important in the biomedical industry. Though controversy exists regarding the ethics of human genetic engineering, it can produce numerous benefits, which outweigh its disadvantages and side effects; therefore, scientists should be able to manipulate the human genome for the purpose of helping people with serious medical conditions.

Transgenic animals have been tools of research for years. Some contest its ethical standing by arguing that the manipulation of animals for human benefit violates animal rights, treating them as property rather than living beings. As BBC news discusses, the patents placed on these newly created beings reinforces the concept of animals as property (BBC 2014). By treating transgenic animals as property, we inherently establish that not only do they not deserve rights equal or even similar to that of a human, but they are demeaned, maintaining minimal rights as were the different organisms from which the new one was created. In the event that a genetically modified creature maintains an intelligence equal to or even beyond that of a human, any attempt to use logic to reason the lower rights goes out the window. The dilemma then becomes how do we decide how much rights transgenic creations deserve. ADD MORE ABOUT OTHER ETHICAL DILEMMAS POSED. However, the bigger voices in the community have decided that their benefit to humanity outweighs any potential ethical dilemma, including the potential health risks posed to humans by the medical tools produced through transgenic organisms. Genetically engineered animals help generate nutritional supplements, create human transplantable organs, and assist with human gene therapy. Thus, in the context of medicine, genetically engineered animals are frequently (but not always) regarded as

In other words, they are worried that parents having the ability to control what their child will be like will disrupt the plan that God has created for them. Some also believe that it is unethical to make a decision that will affect a person without their consent, which is exactly what genetic modification would be doing. By changing the plan that God has created and making a decision on behalf of a person without their consent are both seen as unethical and going against religious

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. Deoxyribonucleic corrosive is an atom that conveys a large portion of the hereditary guidelines utilized as a part of the improvement, working and propagation of all known living creatures and numerous infections. The National Institutes of Health and Welcome Trust from the London UK and Craig Vendor of Celera Genomics from Maryland USA at the same time exhibited the grouping of human DNA in June of 2000, finishing the first significant attempt of the Human Genome Project (HGP) (Ridley 2). As researchers connection human attributes to qualities fragments of DNA found on one or a greater amount of the 23 human

Analyse information from secondary sources to identify examples of the use of transgenic species and use available evidence to debate the ethical issues arising from the development and use of transgenic species.

So, too, related controversies over the benefits and costs, the legality and morality, of biotechnical innovations in reproductive technologies, genetic engineering, and cloning, to say nothing of the ecological consequences of new biological, chemical, and nuclear weaponry that constitute central preoccupations in contemporary society.” (Nature p.234).

Genetic engineering has to do with manipulating organisms and DNA to create body characteristics. The practice of genetic DNA has shown an increasing amount over the past years. The process of genetic enhancement involves manipulating organisms by using biotechnologies. The technique is by removing a DNA from one life form and transferring it to another set of traits or organism. Certain barriers are conquered, and the procedure involves changing a form of cells, resulting from an improvement or developed organism. GMO which is a (Genetic Modified Organisms) is the operation done in a laboratory where DNA genetic from one particular species or animals is directly forced into another gene from an unrelated subject of plants or even animals.