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Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering comes in many shapes and sizes, but we will be going over Genetic Engineering in babies. Genetic Engineering in Embryos has been among the most controversial. Some people think parents will change whatever they want in kids and while some will that is not the point of Genetic Engineering. On the base level, the benefits seem to be that you could eliminate diseases and deformities before they ever happen. CRISPR-Cas9 is the main technology that is creating this buzz, it is a unique technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding, or altering sections of the DNA sequence. Modifications can be somatic, meaning they will only affect the organism or at the germline, which would be passed down through the bloodline. This is slightly more controversial because we could potentially eliminate diseases in that bloodline forever, Every single person would be affected by the decision of one person to have a gene changed. CRISPR can be used to eradicate diseases or it can be used to change physical traits if you wanted to make your kids taller or change the color of their eyes this option would be available. The treatments would potentially be extremely expensive so they might only be available to the rich for a time.

Genetic Modification has a lot of gray areas it’s hard to be only for it or only against it. Gene Editing should be used and used widely. In America, 1 in 33 kids are born with issues such as autism, heart issues, or extremely rare conditions. Roughly 120,000 kids a year are born with an issue that will make their life harder. This is why Gene therapy should be used, many people faced with a situation of either their kid having a rare condition their whole life and needing care even past 18 or having a normal kid who leads are normal life would choose the normal kid. But since most people will never be faced with that dilemma they may never truly understand the benefit of this technology. It is easy to look at someone and tell them they’re wrong but when given a different perspective your opinion might change. If we could eliminate issues that change kids forever why wouldn’t we? Well, some people say we don’t know the long-term effects of changing the genes of an embryo While this is true we don’t know the long-term effects of most things. While most things we think won’t hurt us like wifi or Vaccinations we still don’t know what will happen long term and that’s okay. If it saves lives and changes lives. sometimes we cant wait to see what the long-term effects would be. There should be a line in the sand drawn. You should be able to do some things but not others, Gene therapy that Prevents diseases or Genetic conditions should always be allowed the line should be when we change physical traits, This should be outlawed in most cases. When you give a mouse a cookie he will ask for another the question is how do we prevent this from going too far. I think many cases could look like yes we want our child not to have a sickle cell but when you are at it can you increase their brain development and make them taller. People will want it all when you give them a taste. There should be laws that determine what qualifies for gene therapy. I think all diseases should qualify and physical modifications in certain instances. Society is run on the thought that people should be as equal as possible. Some say Gene Therapy creates an even greater divide between people. Rich people would be able to look perfect and the exact way people view the ideal body in society and have much better development, If this is allowed it would undoubtedly create a major divide in society. As disability studies scholars and women with genetic differences who are experts in thinking about the consequences this technology will have for actual human beings, we have grave worries that the use of these “genetic scissors” will, in the future, cut people like us out of existence without others even noticing. Scientists who use CRISPR could see editing genes such as ours out of the gene pool. People with issues could feel as if their lives aren’t worth living because they could’ve been perfect if born 30 years later. But to those people you must say life is unfair this technology couldn’t help you but it can help tons of people with your condition, why make them suffer?

In history, we have never been able to help people with incurable conditions or autism. For the first time, we can help these people before they ever need help. We don’t just have the ability to change genes but the responsibility to help people that need it if we have the technology. There is no reason not to use a technology that will help millions of people. There must be extremely strict regulations to ensure that people aren’t creating designer babies but merely removing bad genes.

[jakesblogsblog]

Genetic Engineering

What if you could change the things you dislike the most about yourself, if you could go back in time would you change your deepest insecurities? Or do you think that’s what makes you who you are, would you look down if you found out someone changed bad traits in their kids. Genetic Engineering has become a popular topic over the past few years. Genetic engineering is technology that can alter genes to come up with a desired trait. This is a very controversial topic good arguments can be made for both sides. The term Genetic Engineering was first introduced in the 1970s to describe recombinant DNA technology, it started small in cloning small pieces of DNA and growing them into bacteria. Since the 1970’s the field has grown tremendously, Genomes can be cloned and moved from cell to cell and much more has been discovered.

Genetic engineering does more than just change traits in humans it is used in food and can be used in other things. A major area of genetic engineering could have an impact on diseases. Some of the world's most deadly viruses that are resilient and mutate could be wiped out by genetic engineering. In the womb, doctors can tell if your baby will have Down SYou syndrome or Sickle Cell Anemia. Genetic Engineering can cure diseases and illnesses in unborn children. If you have Huntington's disease there is a 50% chance your child will get it with Genetic engineering you could ensure you wouldn't. Humans could potentially live longer if Genetic engineering was able to get rid of issues that take people before they were supposed to die,  genetic engineering affects the body down to the cellular level and would simply be able to make you live longer. With Genetic Engineering we would be able to produce new foods and foods that are more resistant to harsh conditions. Organisms can be made for a specific purpose like a tree meant to take in much more cO2 than usual. You can enhance growth in plants and animals, These are the many benefits of genetic engineering and why it should be widely accepted.

Genetic engineering is not yet widely accepted something that holds it back is the moral question, Is it Right? Many say no it isn't right, Many religions consider this to be playing as a god which is strictly forbidden. The current life span is longer now than it has ever been before but this isn't necessarily all good, This stresses the economy it allows people to be on social security longer than predicted which leaves less money. If people's life spans are increased even greater there would need to be change in the economy, People may have to work longer, maybe not be able to go on social security until an older age. It could potentially lead to genetic defects. While it is heavily researched and scientists have a good idea of how the human body works it is not well documented what happens when you make changes at a cellular level. What if a disease is created that is even worse than the original disease that was being wiped out. Could making changes to a baby in the womb potentially lead to a miscarriage? Genetic engineering would lead to a less diverse population. Population diversity is good because it prevents one disease from wiping everybody out, The more diverse the population the stronger. Another question would be when does it go too far? Could real harm be done in the wrong hands? The nutritional value may not be the same because things could be grown too quickly. No one knows of any side effects of genetic engineering yet but that doesn't mean there aren't any. These are things that hold Genetic engineering back from being widely used.

In a survey showing how religions feel about genetic engineering. When asking which religions are most opposed to genetic engineering Christians and most Muslims are against it. The poll showed most religions around 50% in favor but most religions believe to use human knowledge to better humans so there are two slides to it and it depends who you as.

 Genetic engineering has its pros and cons. Time will tell if people decide it needs to be widely used in humans. It has been used to grow food for a while but when it comes to humans people's opinions change. Whether you like it or dislike it you can not begin that it has benefits and downfalls.