Genetic Engineering

Imagine a world where people didn’t have to donate organs anymore or if vegetables were so big and the plants yielded so much produce that many farms wouldn’t need to be utilized anymore. Even though everyday inventions and fascinating new discoveries have already taken a toll on us, something new never fails to capture interest. Genetic engineering may not be a recent invention but it is still developing in its various aspects. Any new research has its share of optimists and pessimists who follow it. Genetic engineering could change the world, as we currently know it. While some believe its scientists trying to play ‘God’ others think it is a foreseeable benefit for all of us. Therefore the progress of this particular laboratory technique used by scientists to the change the DNA of living organisms such as plants, animals and humans, has its advantages and disadvantages.

The progress of medical technology in terms of genetic engineering has been quite controversial. Genetic engineering can create identical tissues of a person to develop organs. This is helpful because damaged organs can be replaced without the need of a donor. It can cure numerous diseases and save lives but the aftermath of this procedure is unknown. Some people wish to change certain physical characteristics. Genetic engineering involves altering the genes to produce people and animals with desirable traits. This way we could opt to change our eye color, skin color, hair color etc. However it conflicts with many moral issues and religions because some people believe its fiddling with the way God has created things. Genetic engineering can also help produce selective individuals (the ones with the best traits) by replicating genes (cloning) but the drawback is that it would result in a decline in the essential genetic diversity to a dangerous level, leaving the animals vulnerable to disease and unexpected problems.

Protecting species by cloning is an integral role of genetic engineering. Species on the brink of extinction can be protected, but the experiments prior to the production of these species involve a lot of risk as it can result in the production of malformed individuals. For example on BBC’s website it is published that Dolly- the first cloned sheep on Feb 25th 1997 was born after a number of failed experiments and died because of a lung disease at the age of 6, further raising doubts on cloning. Human clones can also be created in order to donate an organ but this is considered unethical by many people. Firstly because having another human being like yourself means you do not have an exclusive identity. Secondly a clone will be just like another human being even though he/or she is not brought into the world the same way as you are and using another human to overcome your own shortcomings is immoral and wrong. Many species of animals have been completely wiped out due to human ignorance. Hunting and destruction of natural habitats of animals has resulted in extinction for many species. Cloning can be considered as a way of humans undoing their mistakes. However in addition to all the drawbacks mentioned previously, cloning