Preview

Genetic Engineering Satire Essay

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1423 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Genetic Engineering Satire Essay
Travis Van Easteren
Ms. Tolle
English III
26 February 2014
Genetic Engineering Imagine a world where autism and downs syndrome are a thing of the past, and where there is no shortage on food for anybody. Over the years mankind has developed and improved technology to save more and more lives through the manipulation of the DNA that makes up all living organisms. However, there are those who oppose this approach. Despite the risks and ethical concerns, genetic engineering holds the potential to benefit humanity through both direct and indirect means. In the past genetic engineering has been used on crops and humans alike with great success. A few years ago there was a study that “concluded that the biotech varieties increased the state’s
…show more content…
If the modification is performed improperly the damage inflicted could prove to be irreversible. At one point when testing on animals it has been shown that “germline introduction of an improperly regulated normal gene resulted in pogency of the modified animal with no obvious effects on development, but enhanced tumor incidence during adult life” (Hall 162). Along with the fact that “although such methods may be undertaken to fabricate improved humans, in some cases, by accident or intent, the outcomes will be quasi-human or less than human” (Hall 164) people are hesitant to make this method of medicine wide spread. Another reason why people are worried about the mass populace utilizing this technology is due to the fact that some may consider it “a satanic act of disbelief and corruption that would change the nature with which God created human beings” (Sachedina 190). Other ethical concerns may include the “deep-seated fear of the further deterioration of social and familial values” (Sachedina 192) that could possibly occur through the overuse of cloning and genetic engineering technology. As a result of these factors concerned individuals have spoken out against the use of such technologies in favor of safer and more commonly accepted methods of curing the ill and providing crops for …show more content…
After various testing performed by various scientists and experts it “is clearly evident, GM technology can quadruple its maize output, more than triple sweet potato output and increase banana output by eight times” (Wambugu 84). With this much crop increases multiplied by all farms throughout the world mankind can cause world hunger to disappear and replace it with excess food so that none shall have to worry about starving or going hungry ever again. While there are some people who voice their concerns over the safety of genetically modified foods they can be assured that “rigorous testing takes place to ensure GM foods are safe” (Wambugu 82) and as a result “there is no evidence that genetically engineered foods currently on the market pose any human health concern or that they are any less safe than those foods produced through traditional breeding” (Hammerstrom 122). This means that any potential health risks are discovered and rectified before the food is even close to going on the shelves for consumers to purchase. With these potential benefits mixed with the genuine feasibility of achievement they all hold shows that taking the risks involved will be well worth

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Most people would concede that cloning and genetic enhancements are two notorious words that most would not consent with. In Mr. Kass’s article “Preventing Brave New World” commences on the astonishing achievements in bio-medical science and technology. Mr. Leon E. Kass agrees that people should be obliged for the breakthrough of advanced bio medical science and technology. Mr. Kass’s incredible work in bio-ethical science has placed this very well known philosopher in the white house with the Bush’s administration. Mr. Kass mentions in his article that we live in a world where transforming powers are already being applied in the 20th century, For example; In vitro fertilization, bottled embryos wombs, surrogate wombs, cloning, genetic screening,…

    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Genetically Modified Humans? No Thanks,” the author Richard Hayes is responding to Ronald M. Green’s article on gene therapy. Hayes is a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley and has a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources. He has also addressed the United Nations about banning human cloning worldwide. The author argues against using genetic therapy in human research because of the risk it provides for human rights. He believes that it will likely result in the escalation of social inequality. Hayes is wrong, but also right at the same time. He is right about how gene manipulation has the potential to cause some real harm, but is wrong about how people should never use genetic technologies.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Miss

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages

    Genetic modification has a variety of uses pure science, research, medicine, food production, agricultural innovation. Genes work by coding instructions for making proteins and proteins are the chemicals that have a strong influence on biological functions. GMO technology finds itself an enduring part of society, history and people. This is true because of the technology’s ability to integrate itself with wild populations and even contaminate conventional crops, well beyond the decision for farmers to halt the planting of GM crops. There will be a decrease in the products derived from GMOs.…

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    You might think if this is this science fiction? But think again, during the last few decades, research in genetic engineering has been advancing at lightning speeds. Recent innovations have presented us with unanticipated promises, and at the same time with complex dilemmas.…

    • 5533 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The producers of the GM foods, like Monsanto Company, think people should popularize the GM foods, because they are the solution of global hunger. However, some scientists claim that GM foods are dangerous and we should be careful about them. In my view, GM foods have the unpredictable hazard to environment and human health. We should listen…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genetic modification is becoming closer and closer to an everyday possibility. With this possibility comes a whirlwind of possible effects, both positive and negative. There has been a history of opposition towards these technologies, oftentimes because of fear that the capabilities would be abused. However, the potential that newborns could be born free of hereditary diseases outweighs the fear of “designer babies”.…

    • 189 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genetic engineering often gets a bad rap with changing the natural evolutionary cycle, but it could, with proper guidance, improve almost every aspect of daily life. Advances in the Biotech Revolution have made many things that we had merely considered to be science fiction or a thing of dreams are now possible.The fact of the matter is that genetic engineering is applicable to everyday life while still being ethical and inline with people’s morals.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although scientists and other supporters paint a pretty picture of how ideal our lives would be with so many genetic choices within reach, genetic engineering undermines rather than enhances the promise of humanity because we fail to see the big picture of the responsibilities and consequences of possessing such a God-like ability.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genetically Modified Organisms have become a scientific phenomenon in curing world hunger. Unfortunately, over one billion people fall victim to one of the world’s leading causes of death, malnourishment. Many critics believe that GMOs do not provide enough nutrients and “good stuff”, therefore they believe that many people consuming GMOs are in danger. Others say that GMOs can fix world hunger because they can produce hundreds of GM foods at a time. My side is to believe that GMO shouldn’t be used to solve the problem of world hunger.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pro Gmo Research Paper

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    According to Elizabeth Weise of USA today, “in the United States today a huge proportion of the most commonly grown commodity crops are genetically engineered: 95% of the nation's sugar beets, 94% of the soybeans, 90% of the cotton and 88% of the feed corn, according to the 2011 International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications report” (2012). This shows how the United States is slowly moving more and more towards the usage of genetically engineered crops. This is due to the fact that scientist are able to enhance different parts of the crop in order to tailor it to specific needs such as ideal climate, the amount of water it needs to consume, or the amount of crop one seed makes. GMOs allow scientist to tinker with the DNA of a specific organism so that the crop can be made more effectively. Not only that, but when looking at the genetically modified seeds, the alterations made to its genomic sequence could garner better crop yields. This could produce a healthier crop as well as reduce the amount of crop failure. This could also lead to better nutritional value of food. By engineering such foods, scientist are able to enhance the amount of vitamins and minerals that are inside of the crop itself. This could yield the first batch of super foods that can help fight many different ailments (Mandel, 2015). The uses of GMOs are boundless as scientist can change…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of genetic engineering has been a very heated topic of discussion lately. The possibilities of this topic range from cloning to gene therapy and eugenics. The most recent type, eugenics through gene therapy has created a lot of controversy. Eugenics is the…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Picture a young couple in a waiting room looking through a catalogue together. This catalogue is a little different from what you might expect. In this catalogue, specific traits for babies are being sold to couples to help them create the "perfect baby." This may seem like a bizarre scenario, but it may not be too far off in the future. Designing babies using genetic enhancement is an issue that is gaining more and more attention in the news. This controversial issue, once thought to be only possible in the realm of science-fiction, is causing people to discuss the moral issues surrounding genetic enhancement and germ line engineering. Though genetic research can prove beneficial to learning how to prevent hereditary diseases, the genetic enhancement of human embryos is unethical when used to create "designer babies" with enhanced appearance, athletic ability, and intelligence.…

    • 1634 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    More Human Than Human

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past twenty years. What was once considered science fiction is now yesterday’s headlines. In just a hundred and fifty years we have gone from the first combustion-powered motor vehicle to space exploration and now we are managing our lives from handheld mobile devices. So let’s face it, technology evolves at a faster rate than humans. In fact it moves at such a rapid pace that it may even surpass our moral compass in its application. In the essays, Cure or Quest for Perfection? by Goodman and Designer Genes by McKibben the authors present the possibility of genetic testing and cloning becoming a common place practice in life. In both writings the authors state the possible pros and cons of the science, while leaning towards the more detrimental effects of it. Can genetic testing and cloning bring a positive light to health sciences and therefore humanity or is it opening Pandora’s Box, ultimately leading to our destruction.…

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Visualize a world where anyone can do anything, regardless of age or physical conditions. Nobody would age nor develop any illnesses or disorders. Essentially, this would be a society in which everyone is perfect. Such a thought would be the result of genetic engineering, which is the modification of an organism’s genome using biotechnology. Scientists alter the genetic makeup of an organism by using techniques that remove inherited material or inject DNA from outside the organism either directly into the host or into a cell that is then crossbred with the host (Clapper, 2013). The goal of genetically modifying organisms is to fix imperfections and improve their capabilities. In humans, genes that cause diseases and disorders can be identified and defenses can be put up to fight them. After hours of research and weeks of studying on the topic, I have reached a conclusion that humans should be able to be genetically engineered, but there needs to be a limit to how much they are modified. Some benefits of this include the absence of diseases, the ability for parents to choose the physical traits for their child, and increased human capabilities.…

    • 1123 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Genetic research has advanced in a dramatic fashion in the last decade or so, to the point where it has now become possible to attempt therapeutic genetic modification, in a few cases of human genes, where a defects exists which manifests itself in certain serious diseases. This possibility, known as gene therapy, is only in its infancy. At present, no one knows how effective it will prove to be, even in the few conditions on which it is being tried - whether it will only be of relatively limited application, or whether it will open up many wider possibilities. It suffers both over-optimistic claims from some quarters and exaggerated dangers from others, over which the church needs to be discerning. It is, of course, not possible to assert exactly where the possibilities opened up by today’s technology will lead in terms of future developments, but various ethical and moral issues are implicit in the technology which it is important to draw to the Church’s attention, so that it is forearmed in an area where developments have been taking place at a bewildering pace. An editorial in the “New Scientist” in April 1994 drew attention to the need to weigh up what may still be future issues today, before the technological “horse” bolts from the stable and it is too late to lock the door.…

    • 5753 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Better Essays