Genetic engineering is the future. Someday this may be perfectly normal, but at the present it is rare. There are certainly ethical concerns with this technology that may result in unwanted population booms and severe changes to gender ratios. These concerns are in addition to the classist’s nature that almost all technological advances face initially when they are very expensive.
There are many parents who would use this technology to determine if my child had a particular disease, especially couples who either have or are potentially carriers of genetic diseases. This may lead to increases in population as more couples maybe inclined to have children; it may almost lower the infant mortality rate in countries where the procedure is available.
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| A Chinese classroom where boys outnumber girls |
Using genetic advances to determine sex, eye color, or other arbitrary traits may come into vogue. If it does there is a strong chance that gender ratios in countries where the procedure is available will be affected. Already without this technology countries such as China have seen booms in the male population as female fetus are aborted in a culture that values male above female heirs. With this technology the effects would be even greater. Changes in eye color would change the statistic on that; however, that is not a particularly important point for discrimination in most societies.
What really worries me is the idea of superiority that will likely be conferred upon these children. Will societies come to define some genetic perfection against which all individuals will be judged? Can there be healthy competition when some participant where breed and born to compete in certain athletic events? These are the concerns I have. If genetic engineering becomes social, as opposed to medical, the social structure of those nations and countries employing the technology will change. Society could become like the movie Gattaca, were genetic discrimination can determine everything from employment to social treatment. But maybe if the world is very lucky, and uncharacteristically fair, then society might not change at all. Genetic engineering would be nothing more than an apolitical choice made by people's parents that in no way reflects the value of the child.
Whatever this technology is or becomes it will undoubtedly be a very complex matter. There are a number of ethics questions attached to it and numerous technical challenges currently. Perhaps in time these will fade away. Regardless though genetic engineering will, when it finally gets around to being solid reality, change how babies are made and viewed.
Your concern reads almost like a crazy sci-fi story. I can almost imagine a dual-class system where the genetically altered run the world and the rest of us slave for them... hmmm...
ReplyDeleteReally, though, this whole thing just seems like something we can do without. How about we cure cancer, or do something else that's actually productive?
Sexuality is a topic of much debate and hatred, as evidenced by the whole Prop 8 thing going on the last couple of years. Some people can't just pay attention to themselves, and feel the need to tell others how to live their lives - but I guess that's neither here nor there, at least for today. But... what if a good old fashioned, God fearing, gay hating religious couple switches their female embryo to male, and the product is a physically male child who is female in all other ways? If that child is gay, what are those parents going to do? Sue for malpractice? (Note: I have nothing against homosexual individuals, sorry if I offended anyone)
My question may sound insensitive, and I know I have exaggerated some extremes here, but I really want to drive the point home: the ability to change things in an embryo is tempting, and really cool in a "Hey! Look what I can do!" kind of way, but I feel like it can and will lead to things we never envisioned and may not want.
I like how much thought you put into your blog. It's true in China that they would choose the male embryos, which would lead to a pretty unbalanced society. I haven't given that much thought with regards to genetic engineering.
ReplyDeleteGood blog :)
I'd like to throw out a another scenario, what would happen to the population if it was heavily dominated by males. If there are significantly more males then females would the population be reduced because there wouldn't be as many couples or would it promote a more polygamist type society? But i do agree that the selection of traits is to extreme and could cause serious problems.
ReplyDeleteI think that of all the blogs I have read yours is the most descriptive and in depth. I love how you seem like you actually know what you're talking about instead of just doing your blog for the points. You raise some good points and make poeple think a little more.
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