Articles for roundtable discussion

Genetic engineering has been the hottest field most undergraduate students would like to go into in recent years due to its latent potential to be developed widely in near future. However, the opposition this technology has received also snowballs along the way.

There are two articles that I have read regarding this issue, namely “Genetic Engineering Will Harm Human Health” by Eduardo Galeano and “Cloning Research Would Not Benefit Humans” by Kevin T. Fitzgerald.

According to Galeano(2001), by changing the genetic code for the coming generations, superior human beings can be produced in terms of intelligence, beauty and health. This is achievable as long as the parents are willing to pay and nobody will reject the opportunity to have a smarter child. By then, genetically modified people would be just as common as genetically modified (GM) foods today. Many of us do not really know what we eat as there are no specifications of the genetically modified ingredients in the food we consume stated on most of the food labels. Transgenic growth hormones can lead to cancer but on the other hand they can increase production and also profits. In this context, the economy of the country always comes before the health of the people. The Europeans are the only ones who take the initiative to protect themselves from GM products by trying to prohibit the importing of them. Their attitude are shaped under the pressure of public opinion and the recent deadly experience with mad cows.

Fitzgerald(1997) sees that human cloning is too risky and unnecessary. There is no doubt that cloning is beneficial in the sense that scientists are able to prevent extinction by cloning endangered species, study the processes of mammalian development for the purpose of organ regeneration and repair and curb cancer by normalizing the activity of the genes. However, the application of this method into human cloning has gained much discussion because it will risk the health and welfare of the initial clones. Human cloning may help people who require transplant, people who wish to have biological children but face obstacles and those whose child is dying. However, genetic solutions are not the remedies for social and psychological problems. Furthermore, the solutions to these problems have been carried out on animal research.

I find these two articles are particularly useful for my roundtable discussion. They provide excellent and interesting examples indicating the hidden dangers of genetic engineering. Also, they give a good overview on the benefits of genetic engineering, though not too in-depth. They look at the problem from a very different point of view where I find very intriguing and illuminating.

There are five words in these two articles where I find quite relevant to genetic engineering. Firstly, ‘despotism of science’ means the rule of a powerful ruler on science. Secondly, ‘transgenic’ means having genetic material introduced from another type of animal or plant. Then, ‘technocrats’ maneuvers’ means science and engineering experts’ control or influence a situation in a skilful but dishonest way. ‘Moratorium’ means a temporary stopping of an activity. Finally, ‘eugenics’ means the study of methods to improve the mental and physical characteristics of the human race.

References
Galeano, Eduardo(2001). "Genetic Engineering Will Harm Human Health and the Environment." Current Controversies: Genetic Engineering. Ed. Lisa Yount. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002.

Fitzgerald, Kevin T(1997). "Cloning Research Would Not Benefit Humans." Opposing Viewpoints: Biomedical Ethics. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998.