Genetic Engineering Essay

Do you think that Genetic engineering is a positive step in our development? Many people think that genetic engineering is the next step in the evolution of humanity and has many benefits. However, genetic engineering presents unprecedented ethical and social concerns, such as damaging nature, limiting human autonomy and risking to human health. First of all, genetic engineering can cause widespread crop failure affecting the natural environment. Nowadays, many people think that genetically modified foods can provide benefits such as increased nutrients, spoilage reduction, and a decrease of chemical contamination. However, there are a variety of environmental risks associated with genetic engineering. By combining genetic material from unlike species, genetic engineering essentially creates new organisms. When genetically engineered crops are planted there is a risk that some materials will contaminate wild plants. The consequences of this type of pollution are unknown. The long term effects of genetic pollution could include harm to plants, insects and animals and a loss of biodiversity. For example, when a farmer plants genetically engineered seeds, all the seeds have identical genetic structures. Thus if a virus grows which can attack this certain crop, there would be a widespread crop failure. The wind, insects, and plants can all carry genetically changed seeds onto close fields and land. Thus all crops, organic and non-organic, are threatened by contamination. Also, this contamination is different from other kinds of pollution because once the genes are out, they cannot be recalled. It can also contaminate water supplies and kill all the weeds in a field, thus lowering biodiversity. In short, the process of genetic engineering can thus introduce dangerous new toxins into foods that were previously naturally safe, altering the natural food chain. Secondly, genetic engineering limits children’s autonomy to shape their own destinies. Genetic engineering is becoming so advanced that soon people will be able to make their children exactly how they would like them to be. However, the genetic modification of humans can pose an ethical debate about the rights of the baby . The fetus should be free to not be genetically modified because once the genetic modification of the fetus akes place then the baby is changed forever, there is no chance that the genetic modification completed prior to birth could ever be reversed. In addition, if parents are able to remake a child’s genetic makeup, they are indirectly writing the genetic instructions that shape his entire life. For example, if my parents give me blue eyes instead of brown eyes, if they make me tall instead of medium height, if they choose a passive over an aggressive personality, their choices will have a direct effect on me. According to some statistics 90% of Americans thought cloning human beings was a bad idea. Only 7% thought it was a good idea. Even when this method helping infertile couples have children, an overwhelming number of Americans still did not accept these circumstances as enough justification to support human cloning. In brief, genetic engineering could be used to create artificial molds of people, pointing their destinies in directions that they would not freely choose themselves. Finally, genetic engineering poses serious risks to human health. Many people think that application of genetic engineering is useful for increasing positive traits in a human-being such as longevity and for the treatment of some diseases. However, genetic engineering can also increase the probability of new strains of bacteria or virus, known as pathogens which can create new diseases. There is no doubt that genetic engineering can increase immunity in crops but such resistance in crops can get transferred to harmful pathogens. New drugs can’t be developed to combat them because these viruses are stronger than those now present. According some researches the use of genetic engineering crops has, in many cases, increased dependence on pesticides and other chemicals. The health risks of pesticides are widely recognized, and actually these toxins have been linked to various cancers, as well as disorders of the neurological and immune systems. Genetic engineering would reduce the human gene pool therefore making us more susceptible to widespread diseases. In conclusion, the trend toward genetic engineering is a risky and dangerous movement that can cause concerns, such as damaging nature, limiting human autonomy and risking human health. We must leave the natural world to self-selection without creating the possible results of genetic engineering catastrophic.