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Dr. Rosenberg
3 May 2019

Ethics of genetic engineering

What are the ethics of genetic engineering? Do humans have the right to change our
genetic identity? Genetic engineering can change the way we live by creating improved crops
and designer babies. Gene editing tools such as Crispr have become more affordable and
efficient to use. What are the outcomes when we mess with billions of years of evolution?
Genetic engineering prevents diversity and limits culture. Everyone has a right to their genetic
characteristics that shape their identity. I believe genetic engineering is unethical due to the
pressing concerns of genetic diversity and identity, we must not use tools such as Crispr to play
God with.

Genetic engineering is completed using a tool called

Crispr, which is an efficient and affordable gene editing
technique. CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced
short
palindromic
repeats.”
“Crispr uses
an enzyme
called CAS9 that has the ability to
alter DNA. The CAS9 is attached to
a certain section of RNA and is then inserted
into a cell where it detaches and unzips it.

This allows the guide RNA to pair up

with a region of the DNA target. CAS9
snips the DNA at the targeted spot.
This creates a break in both strands of the DNA
molecule. The cell, sensing a problem, repairs the
break. Fixing the break might disable a gene.
Alternatively, this repair might fix a mistake or even
insert a new gene.” (How CRISPR works) CRISPR is
six times more efficient than ZFNs or TALEN which
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is an alternative gene editing software.CRISPR can now be found worldwide and can even be
bought off of the internet. This technique has been applied to food, babies and other living
organisms. This tool has benefited our society by resurrecting extinct species, correcting genetic
diseases, creating new healthier and sustainable foods, and the possibility to cure cancer. This
technique is overused and is not always necessary. CAS9 may help bring a sustainable future but
it needs to be more regulated.

Crispr has allowed our society to advance, enabling us to change the identity of human
embryos which limit human diversity. The engineering of
certain organisms limits diversity in its population and
prevents evolution. “The attributes that we now consider part
of the vast spectrum of human diversity might, in time,
become medicalized.”(Genetics and Education) In nature we
have been able to adapt and survive in certain environments
which help determine our genetic characteristics. Parents now
hold the power to alter and to control their child's identity
using genetic engineering. When genetic engineering is
present the parents must think of the best interest of the child.
Individuals can leave a certain culture using genetically
engineering. The offspring should have the right to shape its
own identity, and have its own characteristics. “Its identity does not develop in
a vacuum. It is rather the
result, among other things, of a process of
socialization which occurs within a specific
cultural context." (Genetics and Education)
People have the right to belong to a culture.
Also, when genetic engineering is present all
offsprings will begin to look alike, causing less
diversity. “The engineering of embryos create
"designer babies" whose appearance, IQ,
creative talents and athletic ability will have
been customized by using DNA from alternative
sources.”(Trusting the future). When parents mess with a child's genetics it changes the natural
identity of the child and prevents equality.
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GMO crops may seem

like a benefit, but they cause devastating
changes to our environment. One of the
most popular uses of gene editing is
altering crops to have higher crop yield,
more nutritional value, drought-resistant,
herbicide-tolerant, and disease resistant
crops. These new super plants are not
evolved into our environment. These
crops have the potential to affect our
genome and overall health. This is caused
by the new toxins, allergens, carcinogens,
and nutritional deficiencies of GMO’s that we still have not fully studied. These genetically
altered crops have the potential to give our society a chance to survive by providing food for our
gaining population. Genetically altered genes released into our environment affect the
surrounding plants by potently altering their genes. This damage cannot be undone. “GMO
crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems,
and soil organisms. They reduce biodiversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For
example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down
50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been
shown to cause birth defects in amphibians,
embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptors, and
organ damage in animals even at very low
doses.”(Institute of responsible technology)
There has been little government oversight on the
monitoring of these new crops and few
independent research studies. The FDA does not
require any safety studies for the production of
crops according to the Institute of Responsible
Technology. Once a GMO crop is released into
the environment, its genes are in the ecosystem
forever causing reduced genetic diversity.
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More regulations and studies need to take place for

our society to safely understand the risk of GMO’s. Our
community needs to become more aware of how we as
humans do not have the right to mess with our planet's
evolution. The articles of the Universal Declaration on the
Human Genome and Human Rights need to be more
enforced and recognized. As said by the Decoration
“Bearing in mind also the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity recognitions the genetic diversity of
humanity must not give rise to any interpretation of a social
or political nature which could call into question ‘the
inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.”
(Convention on Biological Diversity) When genetic engineering is present the concern for the
wellbeing of the environment need to take place. Genetic engineering needs to be done on a
smaller scale in a controlled environment in order to protect the safety of our population. As a
community, we need to minimize our use of tools such as Crispr, and rely on a more natural way
of life. Organizations such as the Non-GMO Project have been founded, committed to preserving
and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified
non-GMO choices. We need to control gene editing to protect our flora from being altered.

Genetic engineering is unethical due to the pressing concerns of genetic diversity, and
child identity concerns using tools such as Crispr. Once genetic engineering is present in our
ecosystem it becomes impossible to erase. The adapted genes will affect the plants in the
surrounding area and cause a catastrophic ripple effect on our planet. GMO’s reduce genetic
diversity and can cause health damages. Also, when parents have the ability to control every
aspect of a child’s characteristics, it prevents the child from understanding their identity. GMO’s
need to be more regulated until more information about its impacts are understood. Humans
should not have the right to play God with our evolution in the balance.
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Works Cited

Chan, David K. ​“The Concept of Human Dignity in the Ethics of Genetic Research.”​ Bioethics,
vol. 29, no. 4, May 2015, pp. 274–282. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/bioe.12102.
“10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs.” ​Institute for Responsible Technology,​
responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education/10-reasons-to-avoid-gmos/.

“NON GMO PROJECT.” ​Non,​ www.nongmoproject.org/.

Saey, Tina Hesman. “Explainer: How CRISPR Works.” ​Science News for Students​, 4 Dec. 2017,

www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-how-crispr-works​.

Sternberg, Samuel. Crack in Creation - the New Power to Control Evolution. Vintage Publishing,
2017.
Saulter, Stephanie. “Trusting the Future? Ethics of Human Genetic Modification (Op-Ed).”

LiveScience​, Purch, 6 May 2014,

www.livescience.com/45392-ethics-of-altering-human-genetics.html​.

LYNAS, MARK. ​SEEDS OF SCIENCE: Why We Got It so Wrong on Gmos.​ BLOOMSBURY

SIGMA, 2020.

Ravitsky, Vardit. “​Genetics and Education: The Ethics of Shaping Human Identity.”​ Mount
Sinai
Journal of Medicine, vol. 69, no. 5, Oct. 2002, p. 312. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=8796833&site=ehost-live.