Genetc Engineering
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Genetc Engineering
Genetic engineering is in our food; it is on the shelves of our local supermarket; and in test tubes at the laboratory. They are created from the shuffling and manipulating of genes from one species to another. Examples include the transferring of fish to tomatoes or from human to pig. Genetic engineering also includes cloning, which is the attempt to copy a set of DNA from one species and recreating that species. The proper definition of genetic engineering is, "Genetic Engineering, the alteration if an organism's genetic, or heredity, material to eliminate undesirable characteristics or to produce desirable new ones"(Encarta 1). The initial purpose of genetic engineering was to increase plant and animal production, diagnose diseases and improve or invent new medical technologies such as vaccines and other useful drugs. The methods are now being abused. Ronnie Cummins explains it as,
a radical new technology, one that breaks down fundamental genetic barriersnot only between species, but also between humans, animals, and plants. By combining the genes of dissimilar and unrelated species, permanently altering their genetic codes, novel organisms are created that will pass onto their offspring through heredity. Scientists are now snipping, inserting, recombining, rearranging, editing and programming genetic material. Genetic engineering poses unprecedented ethical and social concerns, as well as serious challenges to the environment, human health, animal welfare, and the future of agriculture. (Cummins e1)
The facts behind genetic engineering are being covered up and made to seem like a perfectly harmless matter. Some like Bernard Gert, believe, "the potential risks to all of the future descendants of the patient outweigh any benefit to a very small number of persons who might benefit"(Gert e4). Cloning and genetic engineering is Biblically wrong, unethical, dehumanizing, and should be banned or severely limited.
To fully comprehend the techniques and...
- Submitted by: bilyea
- Date Submitted: 11/07/2006 07:17 PM
- Category: Technology
- Words: 1868
- Pages: 8
- Views: 716
- Rank: 63759