Genetic Engineering on Children

here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLWm0kc4L98&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3Dgenetic%2520engineering%2520humans%26rls%3Dcom%2Emicrosoft%3A%2A%26oe%3DUTF%2D8%26startI&feature=player_embedded

Apparently, genetically engineered humans have already been created. This is scary!

My opinion

Personally, I prefer government to be involved in as little as possible in our lives because government is inefficient at whatever area it decides to intervene in. This is why I would never want the state to have as much control in this country as it does in Brave New World. Over the last ten years, our government has been accumulating trillions of dollars of debt and at the same time we are supposed to trust them in running our lives down to determining our profession? I don't think so. Genetic engineering in plants is an area of genetic engineering, if used properly, can produce some benefits for society without simultaneously threatening the natural order. On the other hand, genetic engineering in humans, if approved, can lead to disastrous consequences. There will be social, economic, and political repercussions far beyond what anyone expects if the ball for genetic engineering in humans begins to roll. Once parents are allowed to pick the desired traits of their children then we will have reached a point of no return. Lee Silver, a Princeton geneticist, predicts in his book In Remaking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World, that parents will soon be able to pick out the physical, cognitive, and behavioral traits of their child to be (members.tripod.com). However, he predicts that only 10% of the population will be able to afford this, leaving this 10% in a superior position over the other 90% of society. This would open the door for a society similar to that in Brave New World. Many advocates of genetic engineering claim that this is the only way to prevent hereditary diseases from being passed on but this is simply not true (loka.org). With pre-implementation screening and in-vitro fertilization the same can be accomplished without manipulating genes (loka.org). As religion is demphasized and the social values are changing, progressives have longed for a new, natural world in which the opinion of science is held over all other beliefs. I only hope that this new found ideology does not lead to a brave new world.

Bibliography
Batalion, Nathan. "50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified Foods." 2008 Web.26 April 2009. .

Bergelson, "What are the Dangers?." Mothers for Natural Law. 25 April 2009

Darnovsky, Marcy. "The New Eugenics: The Case Against Genetically Modified Humans ." Population and Development Program Hampshire College 404 2000 Web.17April 2009. .

Group of 18 Scientists, "Candidate Questionnaire." Scientists and Engineers for America Web.15 April 2009. .

Hayes, Richard. "The Politics of Genetically Engineered Humans." 05 09 2000 Web.17 April 2009. .

Ingham, Dr. Elaine. "A GE BACTERIUM THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ALL PLANTS ." New Zealand Royal Commission on Genetic Modification (2001): Print.

"Risks of Genetic Engineering." Union of Concerned Scientists. 30 10 2002. 4 May 2009 .

Ron, Epstein. ""Another Voice: Religion and Measure H"." Ukiah Daily Journal 22 02 2004 Web.18 April 2009. .

Schmid, Randolph. "Obama promises major investment in science." Yahoo Finance. 27 04 2009. 27 April 2009 .

Note: most of these sources are from journals that can be found online.

The Current Politcal Situation in America and its Effect on Genetic Engineering

Whether or not America ever becomes similar to the world in Brave New World will be determined by the political decisions made today. Obama and congress hold a tremendous amount of power in determining the course of genetic engineering over the next several years. Recently Obama pledged 3% of the Gross Domestic Product to scientific research (yahoo.com). This insures that a considerable amount of money will go to genetic engineering research. Obama has not whole heatedly endorsed all forms of genetic engineering but in his own round about way he has endorsed it. Obama states, "Advances in the genetic engineering of plants have provided enormous benefits to American farmers. I believe that we can continue to modify plants safely with new genetic methods, abetted by stringent tests for environmental and health effects and by stronger regulatory oversight guided by the best available scientific advice" (sharp.sefora.com) Basically, Obama supports genetic engineering but in order to cover all his bases, he states that there will strict testing before any form of genetic engineering is approved. Since we have a very liberal president and congress, and with an ever expanding government, I believe that a large amount of money will be devoted to cloning and genetic engineering, paving the path for a society that somewhat resembles that of Brave New World.

Ethical and Religious Opinions on Genetic Engineering

In Brave New World there is no religion or ethical standards to impede the progress of society. Genetic engineering has reached the point where ninety-six people can be created from one single embryo. The state is in complete control of technological advances and religion has no place in society. Many in the society are not even equipped the intellectual capacity to consider religion or the ethical consequences of the actions that the state is taking. Most have been trained only to perform their given tasks and outside of that they have no desire to advance in society or to question the motives of the Alphas, the ones who dictate the direction of society. In America, religion is still a critical component of society and is often a determinant of public policy. In a recent poll, 92% of Americans said that they believe in God (washingtonpost.com). America is country steeped with religious traditions and it clear that even though this country is becoming more secular, the religious will continue to have a say in the direction of public policy in the coming years. Therefore, the debate within the religious community over genetic engineering should be closely scrutinized. There are many Christians who take the stance that are genes are God-given and that it wrong to attempt to alter with something so personal. The leader of the Southern Baptist Convention states, "We claim it is wrong for scientists and corporations to own living, reproductive material…." "We believe [such material] is pre-owned by the Creator, and ought to be owned in common by all human beings…." "The altering of life-forms, and the creation of new life-forms, is a revolt against the sovereignty of God and an attempt to be God" (online.sfsu.edu). While many Christians are against genetic engineering, there is a significant minority who believe that if ecological and biological diversity is respected then some forms of genetic engineering are acceptable. If genetic engineering can be used to mass produce healthier, cheaper food for the poor and developing countries then it that not the Christian thing to do? While the religious community does have issues with genetic engineering, it appears as if some form will be tolerated which will only lead to even more controversial genetic engineering down the road. Despite the religious traditions of America, nothing can be done to alter the path that we are on. Genetic engineering will continue to advance no matter the ethical consequences.

The Environmental Impact of Genetic Engineering

The environmental impacts of genetic engineering are often disputed but there is one thing that can not be challenged, genetically engineered plants, pesticides, and herbicides have had an adverse affect on the environment. Often new pesticides are introduced into the market without the proper testing. Genetically engineered pesticides such as DDT resulted in thinning the shells of eagles and ospreys (ucsusa.org). There is no question that there are adverse affects to genetically modified plants, organisms, and pesticides but to the positives outweigh the negatives? This is the question that is currently under intense debate. Too many people jumped on the genetic engineering bandwagon as many saw it as the saviour to the food shortage that was going to plague the world as the population increases. However, too many genetically modified plants and organisms were pushed into the market before we realized the consequences. This created some disastrous consequences. Only recently there was a genetically modified organism that was approved by the USEPA. The organism was intended to produce alcohol from plant debris (online.sfsu.edu).  However, instead of the organism producing its desired effect, the end result would have been disastrous as the engineered bacterium produced far too much alcohol per gram soil and would have killed off all terrestrial plants (online.sfsu.edu). While fortunately this bacterium was never widely used, this is an example of how severe the effects of genetic engineering can be on the environment. Widespread crop failure is another risk posed by genetic engineering as genetically engineered plants have the same genetic structure; therefore, if a disease hits genetically modified plants then it more likely that the entire crop will get killed off (safe-food.org). New or worse viruses in plants is another consequence of genetic engineering. When virus-tolerant crops are produced these crops end up creating new and worse viruses through recombination and transcapsidation (ucsusa.org). It is clear that more research is needed in order to determine the exact environmental effects of gentically engineered organisms.

Future of genetic engineering - by Futurist Dr Patrick Dixon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_UoReSgz84

Here is a link of video where Dr. Patrick Dixon, a futurist and business thinker, discusses the future of genetic engineering.  Dr. Patrick Dixon is the chairman of Global Change Ltd. where his web tv program has more than eleven million unique users.  He is widely turned to for advice on business trends and business strategy. In this video he discusses the future of genetic engineering on genetic mutations and genetic disorders.

Is Genetic Engineering and Cloning leading to a brave new world?

In Brave New World, the society is controlled by a set of strict rules run by a select group of individuals. It is those select few that are given the power to determine the direction of society. Through technology it is possible for them to produce different classes of people in which their roles in society are predetermined. One is born into the world with zero sense of individuality as one has already been brainwashed to the point that one may know little else besides what his or her given job. The genetic engineering in Brave New World is to the extent that one can be trained to hate the country or love flowers, it is the Alphas, the highest class, that are allowed to determine the fate of an entire society. Mustapha Mond, an Alpha and World Controller, speaks in a glowing tone of how the state has been successful in removing human desire, emotion, and relationships from society. The question is, are we currently headed down a path of world control as is seen in Brave New World? While many may scoff at the notion that America and the world is on the path to a brave new world, there are signs and hints that we very well may be on the path to a state controlled society. Are our current scientific discoveries in the field of genetic engineering and cloning going to one day lead to a state in which parents can determine the sex and eye color of their own child? This, considered a ridiculous concept by many, may not be very far down the road. If a line is not drawn as to what is and what is not ethical in the fields of genetic engineering and cloning, then we may one day reach a state that resembles that of the society in A Brave New World.

Annotated Bibliography

"GE Industry." Greenpeace. Greenpeace. 14 April 2009 .

Greenpeace is a liberal, environmental organization that advocates and lobbies for progressive causes. Therefore, one would assume that Greenpeace would be in favor of genetic engineering but in fact they are vehemently opposed to it. They believe that the companies that genetically engineer crops are some of the worst polluters of the 20th century. They claim that these companies have evolved from being chemical polluters to now calling themselves “life science” companies since the conception of genetic engineering. Greenpeace believes that these large companies are using genetic engineering to increase their profits while at the same time being dishonest to the consumer. Greenpeace does not necessarily seem to as much oppose to the idea of genetic engineering but is more opposed to the big business consequences.

http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/GEessays/gedanger.htm#ESSAYS%20ABOUT%20OTHER%20PROBLEMS%20WITH%20GENETIC

Batalion, Nathan. "50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified Foods." 2008 Web.26 April 2009. .

The biggest proponents of genetic engineering have always claimed that genetically modified food is healthier and is to going to help save millions of lives, especially in developing countries. If this is not true then is there really any benefit to GM food? Nathon Batalion claims that GM food is in fact not healthy. Batalion cites numerous reasons as to the negatives of genetic engineering including genetic pollution and an increase in the risk of acquiring cancer. He states that too many people see the short-term benefits without considering the long-term harm. GM food is a big business and if farmers are increasing their profits then they don’t care about the negative consequences. He cites numerous instances in which GM foods have lead to human deaths. In 1989, “dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically modified version of the food supplement L-tryptophan creating a debilitating ailment known as Eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS) .”



Gibbs, Wayt. "Synthetic Life: ." 04 26 2004. Scientific American. 14 April 2009 .

Synthetic biology is the future of genetic engineering. Drew Endy a biologist at MIT is one of a growing number of scientists who sees synthetic biology as the future of genetic engineering. Drew Endy and others are now “designing and building living systems that behave in predictable ways, that use interchangeable parts, and in some cases that operate with an expanded genetic code, which allows them to do things that no natural organism can.” This form of genetic engineering is very similar to that of the goals of the society in Brave New World. The field of synthetic biology has three goals in mind: to learn about life by building it instead of tearing it apart, continue to allow genetic engineering to live up to its name as those in the field are constantly attempting to make new and more sophisticated systems, and to “stretch the boundaries of life and of machines until the two overlap to yield truly programmable organisms.” The last goal is what is the scariest to some and leads to excitement for others. Methods such as hijacking cells, Beta-testing life 2.0, and artificial genetics are all essential elements in the field of synthetic biology.

Tokar , Brian. "Biohazards: The Next Generation." Institute for Social Ecology (2001) Web.14 April 2009. .

This essay addresses the consequences of genetic engineering. With the little that we have done so far, is it even worth it to continue it in the future? We have already genetically engineered salmon that can grow twice as fast as normal, made poplar trees and evergreens grow faster and more uniformly, and have engineered many plants to resist certain diseases. But, unfortunately not all of these experiments have worked out to be as advantageous as initially planned. The salmon have escaped into their native habitats, wrecking havoc on the natural ecosystem. The plants that were meant to resist certain diseases now are immune to the pesticides that are meant o prevent those very diseases. Bioreactor crops, a new technology in the world of genetic engineering, has when used on a large scale lead to “problems of cross-pollination, and unknown deleterious effects on beneficial insects, soil microbes and other native organisms.”

http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/GEessays/DNAaltlife.html



Lyman, Eric. "Pope Expresses Opposition to GMOs,." Biotechnology 11 15 2000 Web.14 April 2009. .

Genetic engineering is strictly opposed to by the Catholic Church as evidence by a speech made by Pope John Paul II in which he warned of the consequences of genetic engineering to a crowd of 50,000 farmers. He told them to "resist the temptation ofhigh productivity and profit that work to the detriment of the respect of nature." The pontiff added that "when (farmers) forget this basic principle and become tyrants of the earth rather than its custodians... sooner or later the earth rebels." Farmers in the eyes of the Pope need to respect the earth and resources that God provided us with instead of attempting to intervene in a process that should be respected. The impact of the Pope’s comments could have an effect on Catholics in Latin America and Africa as they heed to the words of the Pope. I believe that the Catholic Church was more concerned about the long term ramifications of genetic engineering and the general path that that is leading us towards. In Brave New World everything is controlled and genetically altered and that is a point that the church never wants to see the world get to.


Genetic engineering--social and ethical consequences /


Bibliographic Record DisplayAuthor: National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Panel on Bioethical Concerns.
Title: Genetic engineering--social and ethical consequences / Panel on Bioethical Concerns, National Council of Churches of Christ/USA.
Publisher: New York : Pilgrim Press, c1984.
Description: ix, 81 p. ; 21 cm.
Subjects: Genetic engineering--Moral and ethical aspects.
Genetic engineering--Social aspects.
Notes: "This is a report for study and comment, not an official policy statement of the NCCC/USA."

The environmental implications of genetic engineering staff report /

Bibliographic Record DisplayAuthor: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology. Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.
Title: The environmental implications of genetic engineering staff report / prepared by the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-eighth Congress, second session.
Publisher: Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 1984.
Description: v, 160 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Subjects: Genetic engineering--Environmental aspects--United States.
Notes: CIS Microfiche Accession Numbers: CIS 84 H702-4
At head of title: Committee print.
"February 1984."
"Serial V."
Reuse of record except for individual research requires license from Congressional Information Service, Inc

Applied genetic engineering : future trends and problems /


Bibliographic Record DisplayTitle: Applied genetic engineering : future trends and problems / by Morris A. Levin ... [et al.].
Publisher: Park Ridge, N.J., U.S.A. : Noyes Publications, c1983.
Description: xi, 191 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
Subjects: Genetic engineering--Industrial applications.
Notes: Includes index.
Other Author(s): Levin, Morris A.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/
Biotechnology and the ethics of cloning : how far should we go? : hearing before the Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, first session, March 5, 1997.


Bibliographic Record DisplayAuthor: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science. Subcommittee on Technology.
Title: Biotechnology and the ethics of cloning : how far should we go? : hearing before the Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, first session, March 5, 1997.
Alternate Title: Ethics of cloning
Publisher: Washington : U.S. G.P.O. : For sale by the U.S. G.P.O., Supt. of Docs., Congressional Sales Office, 1997.
Description: iii, 59 p. ; 24 cm.
Subjects: Cloning--Moral and ethical aspects--Government policy--United States.
Biotechnology--Government policy--United States.
Genetic engineering--Government policy--United States.
Notes: Distributed to some depository libraries in microfiche.
Shipping list no.: 97-0339-P.
"No. 3."

Draft legislation entitled the "Cloning Prohibition Act of 1997" : message from the President of the United States transmitting a draft of proposed legislaion to prohibit any attempt to create a human being using somatic cell nuclear transfer to provide for further review of the ethical and scientific issues ....

Bibliographic Record DisplayAuthor: United States. President (1993-2001 : Clinton)
Title: Draft legislation entitled the "Cloning Prohibition Act of 1997" : message from the President of the United States transmitting a draft of proposed legislaion to prohibit any attempt to create a human being using somatic cell nuclear transfer to provide for further review of the ethical and scientific issues ....
Publisher: Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 1997.
Description: 8 p. ; 24 cm.
Series: House document (United States. Congress. House) ; 105-97.
Subjects: Cloning.
Notes: "Referred to the Committee on Commerce."
Distributed to some depository libraries in microfiche.
Shipping list no.: 97-0277-P.
"June 10, 1997."
Other Author(s): Clinton, Bill, 1946-
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Commerce.
Holdings Information