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What is Gene Engineering? Is it okay to Genetically Engineer your Child?

career vyas blogs Bhavya Dhawan
career vyas blogsJan 04 2023
career vyas blogs 20 minute read
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One of the most bizarre truths about Gene Engineering is whether or not it is morally wrong to engineer your child genetically. Gene Engineering technology has become a familiar ritual today. Many technological advancements have opened doors of possibilities to satisfy our requirements. The process is so advanced that it can pave the way for options. It has been a boon on one end. But while dealing with the moral aspects, it has constantly been misusing technology. Time to dig up deeper into this question, "Is it Morally correct? When is it not morally correct to proceed with the child?"

Gene Engineering

Gene Engineering is the process of altering the DNA or Gene of your child using technology. One can modify or include their child's genes according to their needs through Gene Engineering. Generally, we do this for two purposes. One is to alter the genes of your unborn child. The other is to remove a particular gene associated with a specific disease. The process mainly uses Gene Editing Technology involving technical tools.

Scientists often argue that this Gene Engineering technology and cloning enabled multiple benefits. First, it is medicine for gene-related problems, and this finding has brought considerable societal changes. Gene Editing tools have made people's dreams a reality. However, although technology seems to be a welcoming boon, there is another side. While considering ethical or moral values, we might encounter a significant threat.

In some cases, this is a boon and also welcoming. But, although this technology has been an inviting boon, in some cases, it turns out to be morally wrong. "But when does this become morally wrong?" You should think twice about this to answer this question. There is more accusation that people who try to change their child's genes are not giving importance to their lives.

They give priority to being perfect rather than right. Life on earth is a god gifted. Not all children are born perfectly. Some may have gene-related issues and problems. We don't have the right to recreate something forcefully against a child. Ethically Re-forming something onto unborn babies sometimes becomes unethical in violent situations or conditions.

Benefits Of Gene Engineering

Though technology has the power to manipulate those flaws through several processes, it is wrong to perfect everything just for our sake. The child must be brought through natural means and not as artificially designed. When we try to alter whatever God has given, it leads to problems. As long as something is essential, it's okay to proceed. But imposing or controlling one's growth may seem wrong in ethical conditions.

One must be aware of these implications. Try to understand what is ethically correct to proceed. This technology may seem rewarding to solve errors, but that must not create or raise new problems. Indeed, understanding moral values is the need of the hour. There is a considerable need to understand this better before making decisions. Think of the possibilities of danger. Will this technology process last long?

How long will it be rewarding? Are we crossing the ethical lines? This technological process mainly revolves around testing or experimenting with babies. But what if it turns out to be negative? There is no complete guarantee that every testing turned out to be successful. The success rates are low so far. So, what if it turns out to be a blunder?

Also, we need to find out how long the altered gene remains successful without affecting the rest process of the child. There is a great danger involved with proceeding with this technology process. Putting the life of the new babies under the cost of the technology trials is the injustice that we do to that unborn child. The process may initially seem positive and promising as it detects gene-related problems.

Still, the experiment goes out of our control. Under those circumstances, it is presumed to be morally wrong to proceed. The word "Designer babies" may sound familiar. It is the common term we give to babies designed manually. Human Embryo is a baby in the developing stage of a mother\'s uterus. The Human Embryo will pass from generation to generation.

At times, the editing of Human Embryos may affect the future person (the one born from the edited embryo). It may result in ethical problems, so it is not advisable to proceed under such circumstances.

Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCB), a U.K.-based organization, reports on editing Human Embryos. They have released a report that states that editing human embryos, sperm, or eggs is "morally acceptable" in practice only if it doesn't make a huge difference or affect the future person (the one born from the edited embryo).

We know that this technology development is not every cup of tea. Not everyone is wealthy as they seem to be. It leads us to conclude that only rich people can afford this. This creates a boundary between wealthy people and poor people. Sometimes this divide might lead to the creation of different social classes. So, there will be social and cultural implications that we encounter.

So, in this case, it is not good to proceed with this Gene engineering technology process which could create problems and questions about ethical and moral values.

Advancing with Gene Engineering

We know that, whatever we do, reflects or bounces back to us. For example, Gene Engineering has mainly been used to cure gene-related diseases. But at some point, it leads to needing to be more manageable. If we start reducing or removing the disease, which is part of our genes, it might affect Gene diversity. The number of Gene Diversity will be drastically get reduced. Though the process of Gene editing helps to slow down this danger, ultimately, it cannot cure this threat.

This leads to a situation where it may lower to a point where it becomes completely impossible to have babies until they decide to have it from the same point of view. So, in this case, it's not ethical or morally acceptable to ultimately enter into this process of technology. It may help remove the disease and may sound rewarding. But at times, that leads to questioning the level of Gene diversity.

Another big problem is it might give a problematic future. Although identifying the problem related to genes and discarding the disease at an earlier stage is excellent, we cannot anticipate it accurately. Mistakes will happen no matter what we do. Everything is going well and great. We may have the correct answers to the question. But it's halfway. There are still many unanswered questions.

There might be a case we need to be made aware of. We couldn't solve everything. The changes we make now may affect the future. However sharp-witted you try to be, the scientist may seem to be. There will be an effect in the future on what you do today. For example, changing the appearance or removing the genes might affect future resources.

It might lead to birth-related problems, abortion, and many other defects you may not be aware of. So, dealing with this technological process is dangerous and creates problems for us. So, there are ethical issues that revolve around this Gene Engineering technology that we must be aware of. Remember, everything is interlinked; if you try to remove one root, it reduces the tree's strongness or affects the other.

So, drawing a disease might give rise to future problems. So, think about how it's morally wrong to do this. We know Antibiotic is the primary source of goodness that fights against bacteria. Also, the level depends upon our body's resistance, which is maintained at a nominal rate. But this is turned down by the Gene engineering technology process.

World of Gene Engineering

So, this may lead to many problems for us and make us easily prone to diseases. Antibiotics will not be effective and cannot go smoothly with this process. So, it has become a significant problem for us in this case. Also, we are the ones who decide how our child's features should be. For example, we decide on the colour, eyes, and parts and manually replace some genes, detecting the problems related to some genes.

Everything is okay. But still, our choices are imposed on that child. Furthermore, this manipulation of genes may affect how a child matures. It poses a threat to the child's growth. So, there is a need to examine ethical rules to avoid these implications. Science and its technological advancements have been a boon to our society. But some could also be Evil. This technology of Gene Engineering is an excellent example of this.

It is the cure for gene-related diseases. But is it the only way to do so? With lots and lots of development, could there be another way for this? So why are we choosing this.? This technology uses to hold people behind and make them less capable. Before birth, these are imposed on that child to become less skilled, which might affect their future.

These are the main ethical lines we cross into. Ask yourself whether this is correct to this. We are doing this in the name of "Technology" and misusing it to satisfy your needs. Another main fault is a damaging escalation in society. It could be against our cultural and societal aspects. Without a doubt, there is a high chance of stereotypes. We decide how a baby should be. Decide the colour, eyes, and characteristics. In some cases, even gender.

This could come out ideally as we wanted, but this Gene editing technology has been manipulated heavily in the name of our interests. Also, this could lead to negative optimization. This Gene editing technology improves the child's performance and does not cure the disease. Not everyone will jump into its decision, but some may opt for it. So, they prefer to alter the gene. So, the gene will keep on changing and replacing. Also, we are still determining whether what we predict turns out to be a positive upbringing. This might have tremendous effects.

Genetically Engineer Your Child

While replacing the genes, we are still determining exactly where it's been placed and how they will work. Sometimes those genes replace the existing gene, which may be necessary. It may be prone to new diseases, affecting the health condition. Also, this Gene engineering technology process can affect the population. Therefore, it might lead to population instability at times. So, one must consider the ethical lines to avoid wrongdoings.

Replacing the gene includes removing that particular gene and replacing it with the required gene. Generally, it needs to be done according to ethics and caution. Once done is done. The process cannot be retrieved or redone. Sometimes it also leads to causes an outbreak of several other diseases. Gene Engineering Technology has devasting effects. One must be aware of these moralities, which might turn out wrong. Gene Engineering Technology must serve as an instrument of development and not decrement. The main thing is that it must follow ethical rules and moral implications.

Conclusion

It has always been a boon to cure gene-prone diseases, but that shouldn't affect or alter the future. Still, before undergoing this process, one must be aware of the above-discussed points under which it is considered a "bane" or "morally unacceptable". A small change that we do roots today into a big problem in the future. It's always best to stay cautious of whatever we do. Whether altering the gene or removing the gene prone to disease, try to limit this process to cure illness only if needed. So, it's in our hands to raise our decisions wisely before arising a new problem. Lastly, do give your thoughts on this by writing them down in the comments section below.

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