The vision of progress through technology has been increasingly challenged all over the world, especially in the field of genetical engineering, within the intellectual circles as well as religious propagandists. To be a socially viable science it has to be accepted by society, and has to fulfill certain conditions in the form of an invisible social contract. But as of now, opinion is clearly divided among the proponents and the opponents of genetic engineering. Christians, the most of them, object in principle as it stands diagonally opposite to the principles and concept of genetical modification, as an unacceptable intervention in God’s plan of creation, violating the principles of the natural world. Ethical problems may arise in certain types of genetic engineering which has applications in many fields namely medicine, agriculture, the environment, and food production. Genetic engineering can be generally described as a human wrought genetic manipulation that allows an organism to perform new functions or produce new substances.
The unraveling of DNA and the mapping of a diverse range of organisms such as humans, dogs and viruses, is giving us unprecedented knowledge into how the living organisms and nature works. When a researcher discovers how a cancer cell spreads, counter options can be generated using genetic engineering which equips medicine men with the tools to counter to treat many life-threatening illnesses and to replace faulty genes with perfect working copies. The potential is incredible. In spite of this, the technology is not without its critics, and just as genetic engineering has many plus points, there are also some negatives that must be thought about.
The Pros of Genetic Engineering
In the field of agriculture, crops such as rice, maize, brinjals, potatoes, fruits like apples, oranges and all are being genetically engineered in several ways. Proponents argue that the benefits are many;
- Genetic engineering reduces costs of production in agriculture.
- Better resistance of plants to weeds, pests and disease
- Better texture, flavor and nutritional value of produce.
- Longer shelf life of vegetables and plants increases easy shipping options.
- Better yield per square area of land and hence more efficient use of land.
- Less need of herbicides and other chemicals.
- Cheaper and safer source for creating medicines in bulk
- Fewer chemical residues in food chain
- Remove undesirable characteristics of cells, which would benefit humans as well as plant and animal life
- Ability to custom design what people want or need
- Improve or add desirable genetic characteristics
- crops resistance to harsh environments
- They can also be used as a cheap source of medicine.
- To increase production levels to feed the entire world
Cons of Genetic Engineering
In gene therapy it is usually a virus that is used as a vector to get the genes inside, and some fear that even though the virulence factors have been silenced, danger is still at hand. There’s also a risk that a gene could land in a spot other than where you want it and cause harm by being expressed in unusual ways. The fear of gene therapy gone wrong has resulted in several deaths, most notably of that of Jesse Gelsinger in 1999.
In agriculture, genetic engineering is cruxed on several fears of which one is the plants that have enhanced levels of herbicide resistance may spread into other crops and create some form of super-weed and the genetic modification carried out can be passed on through pollination which might pose a hazard to the ecosystem. There is also the fear that unusual gene expression would lead to consumers being affected by allergic reactions.
There are many more pros and cons of genetic engineering than can ne listed, and all advocates of arguments on both sides go by the banks of data to back up their arguments which makes it very difficult for the lay persons to understand what is going on, especially when arguments and counter arguments are equally eminent and well qualified. What ever the arguments and counter arguments be, one fact that is clear for everyone to see is that genetic engineering is here to stay, irrespective of the arguments.
- Potential human health impact: allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects
- Potential environmental impact: unintended transfer of trans-genes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity
- Domination of world food production by a few companies and the possibility of monopoly
- Increased dependence of developing countries on industrialized nations
- Bio-piracy – foreign exploitation of natural resources
- Violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values
- Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
- Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
- Stress on animal and plants used for experimentation
- Labeling not made mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
- Mixing GM crops with non-GM confounds labeling attempts
- New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries
i want to use genetic engineering pros and cons chart in my next paper, where can i get it? please anybody help.