Genetic Modification

On the 19th November, I had my Bioethics Test for Philosphy and one of the questions I answered (Had to choose and answer 2/10 questions) was "Do you think it could ever be morally permissable to use genetic technologies to modify the capabilities, powers and attributes of future human beings? Argue for your position."

I was wondering of what other people thought. Do you think it could be morally permissable, and do you think it should be morally permissable.

I think it will be morally permissable because of the over competitive nature of human society and parents wanting the best for there children. I use for this argument the precendence of plastic surgery. Originally used to restore appearance, fix scarring, deformity, injury, etc. It is now used by the vain to be more beautiful, which IMO doesn't work very often. I need re-constructive surgery on my back and when I went into the doctors office to get a check-up, you should've seen the looks I got. The other patients were all there to become "beautiful". Surgery is not fun and the recovery is not nice...

Back on topic(sorry about that), I do not think it should be morally permissable because the genetics you have should be decided by nature, not science. I am a genius (IQ 135+ at last check, many years ago) and I got that by chance. Were everyone to have the "perfect" genetics, it would just be another case of Hitlerisation, aka Eugenics.

Ah, I knew there would be a GM thread here sooner or later.

Well I don't think that people should be able to "modify" themselves unless it's for a real reason such as them having Alzheimer's or severe Autism or some other important condition such as that. But if all you want is your butt to be bigger (for example), then that would be ridiculous.

The movie GATTACA comes to mind. Great movie by the way. It's about what the future would be like if we could make "perfect" kids via genetically modifying the embryos. I highly recommend it.

There isn't much you can do to change your DNA mid-life, so the only use would be for engineering children.

It's not a parent's choice to design their child, it would be the right of the child. And if you change it's DNA too much, it's not even their child anymore, is it?

And it will be a very, very, very, long while yet before we can edit DNA and know all the consequences.
"Here's your custom made child."
*20 years later*
"We're issuing a recall..."

Oh but what they'd do is take out all the undesirable traits so only the "good" genes show.

And sure, you may think it'd be the right of the child, but seeing as they're not even BORN yet it's kinda hard to debate that.

Even so, just taking out undesirable genes might have unknown consequences.
And forget birth, the child isn't even conceived yet.
The problem with gene modification, is that it costs money, so it becomes a business. Life isn't something to be bought. There is a reason that murder isn't allowed.

"Where do babies come from?"
"Well, you came form Walmart."

Hmmmz...touchy subject.

Here is my view.

Agricultural GM=fine

Medical GM (as treatment for illnesses with consent)=fine

GM of a child in order to make it custom made=Not fine

Originally Posted by Elenai

Agricultural GM=fine

Medical GM (as treatment for illnesses with consent)=fine

GM of a child in order to make it custom made=Not fine

Precisely. Now, who here has heard of "golden rice"?

Isnt that a highly nutritious GM rice used in 3rd world countries?

If it is...then it was a very good breakthrough, and a fine and perfect use of GM.

I think that Gm animals and that GM vegetables are fine, as long as they don't disrupt the natural order of things. If you modify something the wrong way, it may not affect us, but the entire food chain around that could be changed in a bad way.

I don't think human being should undergo genetic modification, as was said, it would be plastic surgery for the next generation.

Originally Posted by Elenai

Isn.t that a highly nutritious GM rice used in 3rd world countries?

If it is...then it was a very good breakthrough, and a fine and perfect use of GM.

Yes. The only problem is that the US won't allow it to be exported, due to it "not being tested enough". Bullshit I say. It's rice. They're all dying anyway, so giving them the rice isn't going to do anything if it's not safe, and if it is (which it is), then they should give it to them.

Although it's not like we need any more people on this planet...

One of the biggest arguments against GM foods is that you are eating DNA. I laugh at this (and the girl who didn't quite understand this in my Biology class). Every time you eat rice (I will continue your example) youa re eating rice DNA, if it is geneticall modified or not.

As said by brad.dude03, we shouldn't upset the natural order of things more than we already have. There is a worm, the boll worm I think it is called, which eats cotton plants. In Australia (maybe other places) there are two types of cotton grown. Normal cotton and GM Cotton. The GM cotton rots the stomach of the bollworm, and the normal cotton is to stop adaptation. This keeps the normal order and generates economic strength it a good way.

Hakeem, I like your examples. They sum up your argument very niceley. The reason, according to my philosophy textbook, that we don't kill others is sanctity of life and removal of potential experiences but lets keep that can of worms closed for now. If you want to discuss this, make another thread of PM me.

If we did have it, and I decided it was moral (haven't decided yet), I would definitely get a tail.

What I would do is combine bat and lizard dna. I'm sure you can guess what I want the outcome to be.

Originally Posted by Hakeem

There isn't much you can do to change your DNA mid-life

Gene therapy via nanobots or retroviruses.

I'd say it's morally permissable, as long as you're only allowed to mess with your own genes, and then after a certain age. After all, we're allowed to get tatoos and piercings and even self-mutilation is legal in some countries. Why not allow you to change your own genes? It would also allow true sex changes for transgender people, and allow them to go back if they realise they made a horrible mistake.

Hopefully it doesn't turn into Rapture, though ;P.

A retrovirus is not something you play around with

I see where you are coming from on the mod your own genes, and I would love to have a prehensile tail (one I can control)

for the most part, modifying your genes mid life will have little effect. You have genes for fingers, yet if one is cut off it doesn't grow back. I guess you could make your blood more efficient or your skin tougher or even make your immune system more resilient, but I don't think it would be possible to alter your skin pigmentation to be blue, grow new appendages or increase your height, etc. maybe if you haven't finished puberty new things could grow, but I think they would be limited.