Genetic modification is one of the outcomes of the disruptive biotechnological developments that our world acquired through the study called genetic engineering in the recent few decades. Genetic modification can be defined as a technique to change the characteristics of organisms especially, animals and plants by making changes in their genetic makeup (Ross, 2019). It has been a long time since Genetic modification started to be implemented on plant seeds successfully. Moreover, it has been an important tool for enhancing world agriculture as it is used to treat plant seeds and improve their qualitative and quantitative productivity. After Scientists saw the importance of genetic modification or gene editing in plants and other micro-organisms, they came up with an idea that is to implement it on human beings. Firstly, the idea was to use genetic modification to cure genetic disorders. As a result of extensive studies and researches made by scientists, in 2012, the CRISPR cas9 technology was found. The CRISPR cas9 is a powerful biotechnological tool used to design embryos in their early stage (Vidyasagar, 2018). Moreover, it is said to be a supportive tool as it helps the doctors and genetic engineers, who are using the tool, to easily spot and have full control to tune the different parts of the gene selectively. But the world hasn’t stand fully with the scientists who were trying to introduce CRISPR technology. According to Human Genetic Modification(n.d.), More than forty countries have either discouraged or outright banned this methodology. There are several reasons that initiated almost all the powerful countries to ban and to stand opposite to the development of the biotechnological tool, which is CRISPR cas9, used in genetic modification of human embryos in early stages. But, nowadays some of the technologically advanced countries including the United Kingdom and China licensed genetic modification in human embryos. This made a big shock for other counties who are in a continued effort to disrupt the development of this technology, as allowing it will fully affect biodiversity and result in social problems. Thus, Governments, Organizations, and Scientists should work hand in hand to ban Genetic modification for human beings as it has several negative aspects including Ethical issues, Risks and Ineffectiveness, and Social problems.
The first reason that genetic modification for humans should not be allowed is the ethical concerns it raises including violating the rights of next-generation and interfering in the law of nature. Designing Embryos which is one of the applications of genetic modification is considered as unethical practice as it violates the right of the next generation without consenting them to have their body altered (Collins as cited in Harris, 2018). Without your babies having any say altering their mental emotional and physical makeup is unethical practice (Minchin, 2019). If this procedure is allowed the babies will have their own body designed in a way that their families want them to be and this raises a big ethical issue as parents are determining the future of their children without their consent. By doing so parents are interfering in law nature as well, as they are not giving this job to nature to create us differently. Harris (2018) demonstrates that the new type of biotechnological tools that are introduced to the health care system can aptly be described as a comprehensive attempt to frustrate the course of nature. Nature creates us differently and that is the reason for the cohesion, beauty, harmony, and interdependence among us. But promoting such kinds of biotechnological tools for designing human beings can change the rule of nature, undermine the meaning of life and interdependency as well as the unity that our world currently has. Thus, genetic modification for humans shouldn’t be taken normally due to the above listed ethical consequences.
One reason that genetic modification for human beings shouldn’t be allowed is that the social problems it causes. Genetic modification can fade the beauty of our diversity. Indeed, everyone will look relatively similar as most people will seek good looking, intelligent, athletic with other additional optimum characteristics, if embryonic modification, which is part of genetic modification is allowed (Minchin, 2019). If genetic modification for human beings is allowed, especially for the practice of designer babies in cheap price, every parent will try to make the best combination that are possible in the market for their children. This can increase the similarities between individuals and fade our beautiful diversity. Murmson (2019) claims “Genetic engineering poses a risk to our concept of individuality, as individuality is based on some degree of biological difference.” Our diversity is the reason that makes us beautiful and plays an important role in unifying us peacefully. But if people are similar and with all these upgraded characters, everybody will be able to do everything. Thus, it will undermine the dependency between people, and this can make life boring. Moreover, if such kind of biotechnological tool is allowed to be used by humans, a marked gap will be created between societies, and humanity will be undermined. A designer baby, which is the most interesting concern in the study of genetic modification nowadays, can create classes between societies as it is expensive such that only rich people can afford the price. The rising technologies are disruptive in the sense they will undermine the existing social relationships; besides they can fully change the way of life that the people are living (Qiu, 2016). Moreover, they can result in unimaginable power and opportunities and lead to new paradigm shifts (Qiu, 2016). CRISPR technology in humans is explicitly done through the medical procedure known as in vitro fertilization, whereas IVP is an expensive procedure, thus the rich can ensure the biological superiority of their children where are the poor remain inferior as they cannot afford the price (Reddy, 2019). Poor people will be sidelined and no more be treated in the same way with the rich ones. Thus, the world will resemble what it used to look like before three or four decades ago, as this practice can create a marked difference between classes like the division of people into different classes into slaves, intermediate and top level.
The risks related to the practice and its ineffectiveness is another reason why genetic modification shouldn’t be promoted. Currently, the tools used to modify human embryos and cure genetic disorders including IVP and the latest one which is CRISPR cas9 are not effective that they can accidentally alter off-target chromosomes, causing adverse or even fatal side effects (Shwartz, Holley, & Archibald, n.d.). The CRISPR cas9 mentioned above uses the enzyme named cas9 to exactly detect the target section of DNA that is infected. Then, the molecular scissors following the instructions alter or edit the genome by cutting or adding codons in the correct position. Most of the time the cas9 enzyme wrongly alters another DNA portion as the size of genes is extremely small and not evenly spaced, this makes it difficult to find them exactly. Even if the cas9 enzyme finds the target DNA, the molecular scissors can use wrong instruction, for instance, they can cut a piece of codon and this is a big problem as it fully changes the whole nucleotide series of the DNA. Besides, this can cause different types of genetic diseases or can immediately lead to death. As, even the latest technology that is recently discovered CRISPR cas9 is not an efficient tool to use, designing embryos and treating genetic disorders which are the different ways of genetic modification should be banned. In addition to the side effects, genetic modification can result in unintended mutation and even in evolution, which is the creation of new species. According to Baird (2007), Making changes to the human genetic structure using different technologies can have accidental and unpredictable consequences that can create damage to the gene pool. As the gene is an extremely sophisticated and small part of the human body that determines all the characteristics and behaviors of a person, it is difficult to predict the consequences that can come as a result of alternation of a single part of the genome in any time. The worst thing about genetic disorders is that they are inheritable, so if any change is made in the gene pool of a person it will affect the coming generation. These biotechnological tools that are used in gene editing are so effective that even an accidental release can result in the creation of entirely new species and even often in a short period (Kahn, 2016). This can initiate evolution and split human beings into different kinds of species. Thus, a genetic modification for human beings shouldn’t be promoted as it is a risky and ineffective approach.
Admittedly, some people believe that the biotechnological tools of Genetic modification are good weapons for human beings to deal with genetic disorders and enhancing immunity. Zhai and Qui (2016) highlights that using genome editing is reasonable, as it can treat millions and millions of patients who suffer from genetic diseases. One of the interesting reasons that people, who agree with allowing genetic modification in humans, use is that individuals will not face any kind of diseases including HIV, Cancer and other communicable diseases if they are born with enhanced immunity through the help of the biotechnological tools which is commonly the CRISPR cas9. Studies by Chief (2019) highlight, if people are born genetically modified with enhanced immunity it can increase the life span of human beings. Besides, many people applaud that using such kind of tools can help parents select the gender of their babies before their birth.
This argument doesn’t take into consideration the many negative consequences of allowing genetic modification. Firstly, the tools that are used for editing genomes aren’t effective that they can cause off-target gene alternation which can then result in adverse or even fatal genetic side effects. As genes are extremely tiny and sophisticated part that contain billions of characters which determines a person, specialists who are responsible for designing embryos cannot predict the consequences of making alternations in single DNA nucleotide. For instance, one of the negative consequences of off-target effects, which are the result of gene editing, can disable a tumor suppressor gene or activate cancer-causing one (Begley, 2016). Moreover, it might cause pieces of two different chromosomes to combine, to result in a phenomenon called translocation, which is the main cause of the disorder called chronic myeloid leukemia (Begley, 2016). Thus, the biotechnological tools used in designing embryos should not be allowed to be used by people due to their inefficiency that could bring mortal side effects that couldn’t last even for generations.
Many people feel that it is good to restrict the use of genetic modification only for treating genetic disorders; however, Prudent thinkers would realize that if genetic modification happens all the time to cure genetic disorders people will then start to use it in enhancement purposes, and this can change the motive from treatment to customer attraction. Allowing human genetic editing for any reason including for the treatment of genetic disorders would likely lead to violation of the regulatory limits, adoption for enhancement purposes as well as to the efflux of market-based Eugenics that would heighten the exiting inequality, conflict, and discrimination(Collins as cited in Darnovsky, 2018). Moreover, Dr. Knoepfler (2017) highlights, Permitting the creation of genetically modified humans with the noble goal of trying to prevent a rare kind of genetic disease can push us further towards acceptance of designer babies. Thus, genetic modification shouldn’t be allowed at all for any kind of reasons as the consequences are infinite.
In conclusion, genetic modification has been one of the biggest findings that the field biology has acquired in a recent couple of decades. The study of genetic modification has improved the world agriculture in different patterns. However, it failed to further operate in human beings due to a number of principal reasons. Genetic modification, which is the result of the disruptive biotechnological advances, should be disrupted from further improving by the responsible action takers which are Governments, organizations, and Scientists. As it can bring a different type of genetic side effects, social problems, and ethical concerns. Some people might argue that genetic modification should be allowed for treating genetic disorders and enhancing immunity. However, they didn’t consider the negative consequences because, if genetic editing for humans is allowed, it can escape the regulatory limits and lead to the emergence of market-based eugenics that will furtherly initiate already existing conflict, discrimination, and inequality. Thus, genetic modification should not be allowed for any reason, as changing the nature of what it means humans has a lot of consequences.
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