Should Parents Be Permitted to Choose the Gender of Their Child Essay

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Genetic Engineering

What is Genetic Engineering? What is its purpose?

Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher of San Francisco State University explains that "genetic engineering" is also called "genetic modification," or "genetic manipulation" (Steinbrecher, 1998). The three titles for the same process really refer to " ... the reshuffling of genes usually from one species to another," and the "basic biology" behind genetic engineering begins with the smallest living unit, the cell. Humans have 3,000,000,000,000 cells, and the cells are stacked together to form tissues, organs, and skin, for example, and in plants, cells make up leaves, fruit, trees, and the rest of the natural world; living things.

Genetic engineering uses technologies to alter the genetic makeup of cells, including "the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms" (Union of Concerned Scientists -- ucsusa.org). When a gene is moved from one plant or animal to another, it "transfers those traits"; and hence, genetic engineering is not the same as "classical plant and animal breeding" (ucsusa.org). Classical breeding is based on "traits"; for example a farmer could breed a yellow cow to a brown cow, and a new color will have been developed in the offspring. But genetic engineering goes further than changing traits; it inserts genetic material that has been manipulated to be able to extract it from its original source and " ... successfully insert it in functioning order in target organisms" (ucusa.org).

On the YouTube video the speaker explains the purpose of genetic engineering: it allows an organism to "perform certain functions that it usually cannot perform" by targeting genes "in specific organs and tissues of the body without "affecting genes in the sperm or egg" (Emily Miller YouTube video).

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The video points out that in order to "correct genes" that have brought deadly diseases like cystic fibrosis to patients.

What are some moral issues surrounding genetic engineering? In Chapter 4 the author explains that because of genetic engineering, "giving birth to a baby with birth defects" is a matter of "voluntary parental choice" -- not just "brute bad luck" (Chapter 4). New technology makes it possible to "prevent the birth of children with genetic conditions"; the parents of an unborn child that has been diagnosed with birth defects may be duty-bound to utilize genetic screening, "or test a fetus to avoid subjecting a child to great pain or harm" (Chapter 4, p. 4).

However there are critics of genetic engineering that assert using genetic testing technologies to use a specific embryo or fetus, while passing on others, is taking "reproductive freedom too far"; the upshot of this morality criticism is based on the idea that the technology allows humans to "play God" by deciding which unborn infant's life is worth delivering into the world, and which unborn child isn't worth living (Chapter 4, p. 4). Moreover, when genetic testing is used to confirm " ... paternity sex selection of a fetus for family balancing reasons," but the….....

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