Biology Forum › Genetics › Altering Genes
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- September 18, 2009 at 1:39 pm #11820
JamalParticipantI just recently found out that it is posible to alter a childs genes. We can’t seriously think this is ethical. I mean now in some ways were playing God.
- September 18, 2009 at 9:39 pm #92869david23Participant
not child after birth, but probably the embryo stage. And of course whether playing god or not it’s up to the parents. If abortion can be legal, then why not this. The parents just want their kids to have a good life afterall, or least not a bad one
- September 19, 2009 at 4:40 pm #92891CatParticipant
Humans have been playing God for nearly 10,000 years (since the beginning of farming), so why would people stop now?
As far as "ethical" question is concerned, the technology is neither good nor bad. It’s what will people use it for could be a problem. So, it all depends on individual scientists…
- September 20, 2009 at 6:15 am #92909JamalParticipant
OK I see exactly what your saying, but just because we can do it doesn’t mean that we should. There are something that we should and shouldn’t know. There has to be a place where we draw the line and with the way technology is going, we’re going starting to dabble in things that we have no business in.
- September 21, 2009 at 5:33 pm #92927jonmoultonParticipant
Your argument could have been made an any point in the development of modern medicine — and was. Fortunately, it was not heeded. Parents of children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis would be the near-term losers if folks with your stated position controlled medical research.
- September 23, 2009 at 8:37 pm #92990JamalParticipant
Not nessarly, because if people would take the time to take the nessary step to avoid such defects such as know who they are sleeping with, Keeping immunizations current, Not smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke. Eating nutritious, foods..not including..those fake Mc donalde salads, Having regular checkups and frequent tests. These disorders or diseases can be prevented.
- September 24, 2009 at 5:47 pm #93022jonmoultonParticipantquote Jamal:Not nessarly, because if people would take the time to take the nessary step to avoid such defects such as know who they are sleeping with, Keeping immunizations current, Not smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke. Eating nutritious, foods..not including..those fake Mc donalde salads, Having regular checkups and frequent tests. These disorders or diseases can be prevented.
You are suggesting that Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis are due to environment and lifestyle? These are hereditary genetic diseases, sometimes caused by spontaneous mutation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchenne_m … _dystrophy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosisThe most promising therapies in development for treatment of these conditions involve altering nucleic acids, either by gene replacement or by oligonucleotide-mediated exon skipping. Blocking research into these techniques rips hope from these patients and their families. You suggested that developing these treatments is playing God. I respond that blocking them is being the devil, and know many parents of children with these genetic diseases who would agree.
- September 25, 2009 at 11:25 am #93035muznaParticipant
i agree, the child would not able to compete with evolutionary changes or change in environment as it is natural process.
- September 25, 2009 at 6:32 pm #93045mithParticipant
Ok, and we can all hide underground because the Sun has UV rays that can cause cancer and mutate DNA.
- September 25, 2009 at 11:07 pm #93056JamalParticipant
No, the reason I said that is because there are ways to prevent it but in certain cases I feel that its acceptable, but at the same time I feel that it should be used for that reason and that reason only..not to change a fetuses eye color or height…
- September 26, 2009 at 1:35 am #93058canalonParticipant
Yes but where is the limit to what is acceptable and what is not? A short stature can be a handicap, if i can have someone go from 120cm to 175cm by gene alteration, I will probably make his r her lie much easier, but what would be the maximum height where this treatment cannot be applied? Or in a case of Autism spectrum disorder, from deep autism, to mild Asperger, where would be the limit if a treatment was available? etc…
- September 26, 2009 at 5:55 am #93060mithParticipant
Let’s say you took all those precautions you mentioned, do you truly believe that makes it impossible for your child to have defects?
And let’s say that indeed they are preventable, that means you’re suggesting parents who smoke/don’t eat well caused the baby’s defect….and they should not be allowed to seek medical treatment. So you’re saying you think the parent should be punished by watching their child suffer?
What kind of religion/moral system says you should prevent a doctor from giving aid to a suffering baby and instead lecture the doctor to not play god?
- October 9, 2009 at 1:00 pm #93496JamalParticipant
NO!! Not not at all! I’m saying there should be an stopping point. I’m say that allot of our heath issues derive from our view on our body and what we intake into our system. Everyone deserves to live a health happy life. I just feel that when those methods go from helping use to killing us. Now, there are some instance where it just cant be help but, like I said allot of illness can he prevent is we would just take time time to do what we know is right. For instance..Lets say cloning animals and drugs abuse…I’m saying that cloning chicken is play God but I can settle with it if its used to help cure diseases not cause them and I do think that there is a problem when they used those defected chicken clones in our food. Esp. when those clones had all kinds of steroids and drugs used in the process, then its put out in the pubic. And as for drug, as a parent you cant do drugs and not expect any consequences. Now, its unfortunate that the baby will suffer for this and in cases like this there should be help for the infant. My problem comes in where they use those methods and incorporate it into the human society.
- April 11, 2010 at 12:15 pm #98918DojiwanParticipant
- April 11, 2010 at 7:56 pm #98934david23Participant
It’s funny, reading so much about these debates on ethics when the primary driving force behind all these genetic engineering of food and etc etc comes from economic reasons.
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