Essays

Dolly was a sheep that was the first living clone in its time, not a country music star from Tennessee. This was a magnificent feat but what did it mean? To some it meant a world of possibility, to others it meant havoc. Who is right? Who is wrong? These questions are unanswerable which results in a never-ending controversy. This controversy over the benefits and dangers of genetic engineering in humans, animals and plants will live on forever.

There are many benefits of genetic engineering. At the fore front of these benefits is preventing and curing illnesses. Imagine beating chronic, fatal diseases before they strike. Think of the lives, money, suffering and effort that could be saved if doctors could identify individuals that are genetically stricken with heart disease, cancer and many other diseases. Take cancer for example. Scientists are working on a way to alter the processes of the body's own immune system so that white T-Cells will attack cancerous tumours. The T- Cells will be biologically altered and engineered to perform a specific function unlike current T- Cells who don't have a specific antagonist to fight against. If research is funded well enough so that it can continue, society will see an incurable disease such as cancer disappear like a rabbit in a hat. Other diseases that are known to be passed on genetically can also be cured using gene therapy. A gene therapist could go into the embryo and find the mutated gene that causes heart disease or high cholesterol and replace or extract the defective gene. This conception of prenatal gene therapy is derived from the idea that a doctor would be able to test an unborn baby for defects. Many people argue that the prenatal testing can be harmful due to social and medical implications. These implications include malpractice and increased stress on the mother of the baby. Clearly, much controversy exists over prenatal gene therapy.

Medically, there are many barriers to break, but agriculturally there are few.

Many of the foods we eat today are biologically produced. Apples and oranges are biotechnologically altered so that they are bigger and better. Bio-technicians are also producing micro-organisms that prey on crop ruining bacteria and the like. There have even been experiments with farm animals that result in bountiful production of pork, beef and poultry therefore boosting the economy as a result of more agricultural profits.

In 1987 a gene therapist began altering the hormones of pigs. The geneticist implanted a human growth hormone into the pig, which in turn increased the amount of lean pork, the weight of the pig, and unfortunately the size of the pig's heart. Although the pigs had giant enlarged hearts, the breeding of the pigs continues. This is not to say that the agricultural industry is booming with the recent production of' super livestock and crops'.

Inversely, many people disagree with either some forms of genetherapy or all of gene therapy. Gene therapy is very risky and may cause more harm than good. Take the development of nuclear warfare for example. This resulted in a thirty year long cold war between the U.S. and the LJSSR. In this situation there was obviously more bad done than there was good. Genetic engineering can end up the same way, there may not be a war but there will be more harm than help. That being said, gene therapy is morally wrong. Not only is genetic engineering morally wrong with humans it is wrong in the agricultural field too.

What were to happen if a biologically produced organism designed to increase crop production were to overtake an entire ecosystem? The organism could spread into natural habitats killing the 'crop frying' organism that was food for an earthworm which was food for a bird which was food for a snake etc... This may be only minor in comparison to what can happen to a genetically altered animal that has gone wrong.

Whether or not there is legislation condoning genetic engineering or prohibiting it, there will be controversy. This controversy will exist for as long as human beings walk the Earth we live on. Whether the controversy is over something petty or something as serious as cloning human beings, the arguers will argue on an don, endlessly.