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Genetic Engineering

Genetically Engineered Humans
Section 1
Genetic engineering is the alteration of an organism's genetic or hereditary material to eliminate undesirable characteristics, or to produce desirable new ones. (McCuen 1) This is just one of many controversial issues's that involves changing what a person is supposed to be like, or look like. The reason that I chose this topic for research is one that is very personal to me. Two years ago my father was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder known as ellers danlos syndrome. This is a disease that affects your tissue and breaks down the walls of your organs. Due to this disease my father has suffered two major strokes, has undergone three surgeries, and is on several different types of medication that he has to take daily. Neither me nor my sister have been checked to see whether or not we have this disease but there is a 50 percent chance that I'm either a carrier or I have the disease. Genetic engineering could potentially be something that I look into once I am ready to have children.
Unfortunately I know it's too late for any genetic enhancement for my father and I, and hopefully neither me nor my sister have the disease. My decision to research this topic has come from my experiences through taking care of my father and watching the struggles he has gone through. If there is any way that I can prevent something like this from happening to my children then I definitely want to pursue that option. Not only could genetic engineering have an impact on my children, but it would have the biggest impact on society. This is another reason that I chose to look deeper into this topic, because I'm always thinking about what advances in science will happen in the future. The impacts that genetic engineering could have are endless, and they are both positive and negative. By researching this topic I hope to gain the knowledge that I need to get some idea of how fast the field of genetic engineering is growing. I also want to...