OPPapers.com

Moral Issues Within Gattaca

Gattaca is directed by Andrew Niccol and the film is set out in the "not too distant future." The main ethical and moral issue presented to the audience in the film Gattaca is the discrimination of someone considering their genetic makeup, or the way they were born, if it were natural or unnatural.

Gattaca is directed by Andrew Niccol and the film is set out in the "not too distant future." Andrew Niccol's perspective of the future isn't what most people expect but once thought about thoroughly it surely seems quite possible. This movie presents us with a new method in which society strives for perfection and it also makes the audience wonder if genetic engineering is morally correct. The social hierarchy system in Gattaca is based on your genetic makeup and the way you were born. People born the way we know as natural are "in-valids"; on the other hand people born with the assistance of genetic engineering are "valids." An "in-valid" has his future set out to be a cleaner or other insignificant job in society which doesn't require an education. A new form of prejudice has been raised into debate which is the idea of having superior or inferior genes.

Within the text, the natural method of conception is genetic engineering unlike to what our society perceives to be natural. Genetic engineering leads to genetic selection from the parents who choose to eliminate any defects, diseases or genetic illnesses. Some parents may want to leave several genetic traits to chance rather then selecting the attributes of their son or daughter. To what extent is this process of conception morally right? If even morally right at all. Ethically speaking, genetic engineering in embryos should only be used in extreme circumstances. If the natural method of conception isn't possible in parents then I believe genetic engineering should be a last resort, but only enough genetic selection should take part to provide a healthy child not to give this child any foreseen advantages over...