FREE ESSAY ON GENETIC ENGINEERING

GENETIC ENGINEERING

Fetal DNA Modification
Fetal DNA modification, what is it? Fetal DNA Modification is a type of germ line gene
therapy, but it is only performed on fetuses. This is because of their abnormalities of
their gene makeup that could cause hereditary disease. If a genetic disease is found
during the test of the amniotic fluid, then Fetal DNA therapy could be an excellent
choice. Since the human genome project is nearly completed there is now the knowledge of
where each gene in the human body is located and what its use is. With this knowledge
Scientists can take viruses and change their genetic makeup to be able to fix the
abnormalities that the growing fetuses have due to their genes. Due to evolution viruses
have evolved to be able to penetrate the cell membranes and take over their reproductive
capabilities of a cell. In doing so the cell reads the viruses genetic coding rather then
its own and replicates with the viruses DNA. If we can successfully inject virus DNA that
has its genes sequence changed so what was abnormal with the original fetus is now fixed
in the viruses' genetic code. We would then be able to change the fetuses genetic makeup
and the child to be born would no longer have the hereditary disease, or the genes to
pass it on to its offspring. The possible problems with this treatment is that we could
create mentally or physically retard babies in trying to change their genes because we do
not know a lot about the procedure. Another problem is many people think that it is
playing god, and that it is disturbing evolution that has occurred for the betterment of
man over many thousands of years.
The way you need to evaluate biotechnology to determine if it is ethical is make sure it
meets 4 credentials. They are Autonomy, which is, if you have the choice to do it or not.
The second is nonmaleficence which is saying it isn't ethical if it risks harming or is
going to harm someone, the third is beneficence which questions if it going to help many
in the future and will the number of people it helps be much greater then what it hurts.
This is different then nonmaleficence, although it may not sound that different. The
difference is nonmaleficence looks at it in a negative light, but in beneficence it is
looked at positive so if it is over all positive it meets that third credential. The
fourth and final credential that must be met for a part of biotechnology to be ethical
according to Kormondy is Justice. Justice is saying that the treatment should be
accessible to everyone not just the upper class. It should be available to all types of
people color, money, religion and things of that nature should not play a role on whether
or not the person merits the treatment. The treatment should be available to everyone.
The first class that new procedures or ideas have to meet to be ethical is Autonomy.
Being able to make a choice given correct information. Fetal DNA modification would meet
this criteria because it is nothing that is forced upon you. You look at the information
and look at the choices and then you can make a decision that best suits you. For example
if you are pregnant and after the testing of the amniotic fluid it is discovered your
baby is going to have a genetic disease such as Cystic Fibrosis. You find out that the
baby will not likely live past twenty-one. The doctors then present you with a choice, it
is either to deliver the baby and let him/her live a short life. Your other option is to
try to modify his DNA by injecting viruses with different DNA into the fetus and when
they take over the reproduction of his cells the gene that is turned on for the disease
will now be deactivated. This could result in the baby being born without the disease
Cystic Fibrosis ever affecting him but it could also mean the baby could suffer severe
mental and physical retardation. This demonstrates autonomy and fetal DNA modification.
It presents you with a choice that you are fully informed about and you have to decide
what would be better for your baby. My topic fetal DNA modification does fit these
credentials of being ethical.
The second credential that it needs to meet is nonmaleficence. This is that it will not
risk hurting anyone. This is one thing that fetal DNA modification might not meet,
although it is a choice it can hurt the fetus. So, if there were a risk then it would not
fit into nonmaleficence. For instance if the procedure is performed and we don't know
that multiple genes could affect a disease, and the viruses DNA was not fixed for the
gene then sever mutations could occur to both the genetic structure and it also risks
retardation. The possibility is if the viruses with the correct genetic structure is
injected the developing immune system of the fetus could reject it and scientists are not
sure about what this could do to the developing fetus. Due to these risks fetal DNA
modification would not meet the ethical credentials of nonmaleficence. 
The third credential that something needs to meet for it to be ethical is beneficence,
which is that its overall a positive procedure. Fetal DNA modification does meet
beneficence. This is because although it may have a few negative affects on the first
generation it is performed to, but that is only because the procedure has not been
perfected yet. Fetal DNA modification may not be perfected yet but if it performed to
some it will help the doctors and scientists learn more about it. This will not only help
the originally engineered child. It will also help the original child's baby because he
will be getting better DNA from his parents. Another reason this procedure will help the
baby is because if it is discovered that he has a disease the treatment for that
hereditary disease will be very refined and so it will be easily performed on him with
virtually no risks. Fetal DNA modification does meet the credentials of the third way to
evaluate if a procedure is ethical, beneficence. It may harm a few but in doing so it
will help many more. Looking at it like beneficence requires, in a positive light you
realize this is a good procedure.
The fourth and final credential that something must meet to be ethical is Justice. Which
is basically saying that it has to be available for everyone equally. Fetal DNA
modification does not meet this credential because for a treatment it can cost 60,000
dollars. Since insurance companies see this as a procedure that is unnecessary they will
not pay for any of it. They consider fetal DNA modification equal to something like
plastic surgery. Fetal DNA modification does not meet the credentials of Justice. It is
not available for many just the rich and upper class who have 60,000 dollars somewhere.
My topic fetal DNA modification is a great advance in scientific knowledge and disease
treatment but it also has its problems. Although it does have potential to cure so many
it also has its drawbacks. One great things about fetal DNA modification is if you refine
the treatment it will be able to save thousands if not millions of lives each year. For
instance, recently scientists found the gene that causes 75% of Cystic Fibrosis cases and
they also developed a way to implant a virus into a fetus and have it change the genetic
coding so that the gene to cause Cystic Fibrosis is no longer turned on. Scientists have
also discovered with help of the human genome project how to do that with dwarfism,
Huntington's disease and some forms of colon and breast cancer. 
There are many problems with fetal DNA modification though; the main argument of many
religious people is that changing the gene sequence is playing god and that is not
something that needs to be done. Another thing that goes along with this is that many
religious people believe that god takes you when it's your time and that playing with
that could create over population and chaos. 
Another problem many have is will science know when to draw the line if fetal DNA
modification is legal. The question is do you just use it to change hereditary diseases,
or should you screen every fetus and would they be aborted even if the disease won't
affect the but if they carry the gene so that future generations could contract it. Also
if we have the treatments perfected what if someone wants only to enhance their child's
height of intelligence. As of now we cannot efectively increase someones intelligence
because intelligence is a poly-genetic trait. Eventually if we don't stop developing
genetic engineering it will surpass its intended uses of just for the cure of deadly
hereditary diseases it will become something used on every fetus just to help them get
ahead in the world. Many scientists realize that there could be great problems with
something like this because in the human genome project that set aside 5% of their budget
to study the ethical portions of the research. Many experts also think we should just put
a hold on our technology and let the ethics catch up. As one genetic counselor Bea
Leopold said when asked of genetic screening, "The technology is just so far ahead of the
ethics."