Essay on Genetic Engineering

Free Genetic Engineering papers

Genetics and Mental Illnesses
Discoveries in genetics have helped change the way society looks at mental illnesses such as manic depression and schizophrenia. A generation ago, the leading theory about schizophrenia was that this devastating emotional and mental disorder was caused by cold and distant mothering, itself the resu

gender roles
Clausell 1 It has been prevalently believed, by professional and laypersons alike, that boys and girls in our society are socialized differently and in ways that encourage behavior consistent with our cultural definitions of appropriate sex role behaviors. Sex differences in the socializatio

Genetic Engineering is the alteration of genetic

material by intervention in genetic processes. Geneticists,

the scientists that specialize in gene therapy, are working

very diligently to map out the suspected 100,000 to 150,000

genes that make up the human body. They plan to have it

complete by 2005 (Boukhari 1). With this map of the charted

genes Jeff Kunerth, writer for the Orlando Sentinel says,

"It is one of the many scientific advances that literally

will redefine life in the next millennium,"(Kunerth 1).

Geneticists should continue their studies in genetic

engineering because of the possible health benefits it will

have. Wouldn't it be great for soon to be parents to not

have to worry about thier child coming out deformed, or with

a genetic disease that have been passed down? Or not

having to worry about diseases that occur later on in life

as a result of a missing gene? Or how would you like to

create your own child from scratch? "We are promised to be

on the verge of a new era in medicine, where serious

diseases will be cured by patching the flaws in our

intricate genetic engines" says Jeff Elliott, a respected

writer (Mahoney 33). This could all be possible because of

genetic engineering.

Geneticists will be able to cure babies from diseases

even before they are born. They plan to start by treating

severe childhood diseases like Cystic Fibrosis (Silver 2).

They will be able to do this because when a parent can not

produce a defect-free embryo gene therapy will be able to

correct it by adding the missing components or the embryo

can just be discarded for a newer healthier one that doesn't

have any deformities (Kunerth 2).

Doctors will soon be able to inject the genes into the

embryos that makes people naturally resistant to certain

kinds of cancers and/or HIV infections. They also plan to

find the gene that cases people to be obest and even

alcoholics (Silver 2).

There is a one in eighty-seven chance that a baby may

contain a chromosomal abnormality (Kunerth 1). The

parents will have the difficult choice to eather continue

the pregnancy and risk the baby will have a disability, take

the chance it will be normal, or they could even terminate

the pregnancy (Kunerth 2).

Now as geneticists are maping out the genes they can

have the options of injecting the gene(s) and having their

baby come out completely normal. Because genes are a

combination of the two parents it is possible that the baby

won't get certain genes but now the doctors could just

inject those genes (Silver 2). Scientists are hoping that

by enhancing and injecting genes into the humans that the

next generations will continue to have those genes without

having to have them altered (Kunerth 1). "Parents will

fulfill their personal expectations in respects of raising a

healthy family," says David Morris, a genetic engineering

specialist (Morris 60).

Geneticists hope that by maping out the genes they will

be able to cure present...

Boukhari, Sophie; Otchet, Amy. "Unchartered Terrain on Tomorrow's Genetic Map," Unesco Courier, Sept. 1999, p.18, 2p, 1c. Ebsco. Online. 9 Dec. 1999.

"Designer Babies, Anyone?" National Catholic Reporter, 22 Oct. 1999: Vol. 36 Issue 1, p.21, 2p. Ebsco. Online. 8 Dec. 1999.

Gene Therapy Can Help Improve Cystic Fibrosis 19 March 1999, 4 Janurary 1999: 1-2