Jace Meier 3a4a Human Genetic Engineering Imagine a world where every hereditary disease could be wiped out

completely. Things like cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy could be gone forever, and the people who would have suffered from them are instead living a normal and healthy life. Now imagine a world where parents fight savagely to change their children. The necessity to be beautiful has gone beyond the earth and into the womb of every mother. The world has become a competition to see who can literally make their child into some superhuman they were never born to be. Both these scenarios are possible outcomes for human genetic engineering. Human engineering is the alteration of an individual's genotype with the aim of choosing the phenotype of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult. It holds the promise of curing hereditary diseases while also posing the threat of turning the people of earth shallow and unnatural. Genetic engineering is not something new. Humans have been genetically altering plants for several years now. Human genetic engineering more recently took off in 2004 on patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (2005, European Society of Gene Therapy). Along with this human genetic engineering has been used on infertile women with genetic defects in the mitochondria, allowing them to have children. The two main technological advances most commonly used are somatic cell therapy and germline cell therapy. With somatic cell therapy doctors are able to alter the genome in a somatic cell. With this technological advance doctors are able to target specific organs and tissues. The aim of somatic cell therapy is to try and correct genetic mutations. Germline cell therapy on the other hand is much more dangerous than

somatic cell therapy. Germline therapy alters the genome and specifically targets sperms, eggs, and young embryos. This means that whoever receives germline therapy will be completely genetically altered, and will pass on their alterations to their offspring. Germline therapy is also much more dangerous than somatic therapy because it is possible for the gene to be placed incorrectly and it can interfere with vital genes in the human body. Germline is still used, however, because it can be more effective than somatic (Hanna, 2006). Although these treatments can be beneficial, the idea of genetic engineering is one with both pros and cons. There is no hiding that human genetic engineering could be extremely beneficial to thousands of people. The most obvious benefit is that it human genetic engineering has the power to cure hereditary diseases. Diseases such as immunodeficiencies, haemophilia, thalassaemia, and cystic fibrosis have the potential to be cured with genetic engineering because they only deal with a single gene defect (Fulvio Mavilio, 2008). As technology increases diseases that have more than one defect can also be cured. Ultimately, we are looking at a world where no one is born at a medical disadvantage. A more recent benefit is the ability for previously infertile to become pregnant. In March 2001, 30 healthy babies were all born with the DNA of three people (Russ Kick, 2010). Doctors were able to use the mitochondria of a younger woman to help speed up the ova of the mother. Since the mitochondria have DNA, the children had the DNA of the mother, father, and younger woman. Although this is only the very basics of genetic engineering, is has had great success and lead the way for more studies. The types of people most affected by genetic engineering are anyone with a hereditary disease. These people can have a whole different life with the help of human genetic alteration. The most prominent groups who argue for human genetic alteration are parents and several doctors. They argue that if we have the ability to help and cure someone, then it is our duty to do so.

In a world where human genetic alteration was allowed to be practiced, in all its forms, the earth could be a healthier and happier place. Hereditary disease could be practically eliminated and parents could rest assured that their baby will be born healthy. At the same time the earth could become a shallow and unrealistic world. People should cringe at the idea of babies made beautiful at the expense of their health. Nothing would be real. Athletes would only be so great because they cheated. Beauty, intelligence, and talents would no longer be gifts, but something any parent could go out and buy for their kid. It would be a healthier world, but not a real one. The cons of human genetic engineering are just as vast as the pros. People against human alteration arent saying that they want people to have to live a life with a hereditary disease, but they believe that it is unnatural to change the course of Mother Nature. It is no surprise that often times the groups most against human genetic engineering are most religious groups. They believe God made everyone a certain way for a reason, and that trying to change what God has made is a sin. The cons of human alteration go much farther, however. Even though changing a persons genetics could cure them, it can also harm them. In the 2000 the first gene alteration success was recorded after a group of patients with severe combined immunodeficiency were recorded to have functioning immune systems after treatments. These trials were stopped however when two of the patients developed leukemia. Later on in 2007 four more patients were recorded to have developed leukemia (European Society of Gene Therapy). This was due to the insertion of the gene-carrying retrovirus near an oncogene. Along with cancerous dangers, there are other dangers involving the misplacement of the insertion and the danger of only a partial insertion being made endangering the patients life. Besides there being a prominent danger to patients, human genetic engineering also create a problem for human morality. It is no secret

that in the past athletes have abused scientific advancement to enhance performances. What is to keep athletes from using human engineering to alter themselves in a process known as gene doping? Another threat is the ability to abuse genetic engineering to create designer babies. Genetically altering your baby so that they look pretty can create health risks that otherwise wouldnt have been there. It is almost impossible to predict all of the side effects that changing your babys genetic make-up could have. It is almost impossible to predict how far some parents would be willing to go, in order to have the perfect baby. If human alteration was to be prohibited, it would be a great loss to us. It would be sad to know that there could have been something done to give multiple peoples a better life. Who is to say that if genetic engineering was given a chance it could not only cure hereditary disease, but any disease? If it is banned, scientists would probably eventually find some kind of serum or pill to get rid of hereditary diseases. The great loss would time. Here we have something that could be a major breakthrough in the very near future, instead of spending multiple years searching for an alternate. As far as I am concerned, human genetic engineering only receives a 4 on a severity scale 1-10. Human genetic engineering occurs at a very low frequency in the US considering that it is still relatively unstable, and very expensive. Tests and experiments are still being run, and the majority of these tests are to try and cure hereditary diseases, not to create designer babies. Along with that I really dont see the problem in human genetic engineering becoming successful. I feel that this treatment could greatly change peoples lives for the better, and as far as gene-doping and baby changing goes, I have faith that America will create laws to ban such practices.

In conclusion, human genetic engineering has a variety of pros and a variety of cons. Many argue that human alteration can save people from a life of hereditary disease, and it is our duty to help these people. The others argue that besides being unnatural, this dangerous practice can be used to genetically dope up our athletes and custom make our babies. It is my belief that human genetic engineering is something to be greatly considered. It could change peoples lives, which is worth the hassle of passing a few laws to prevent abuse. All in all, human genetic engineering has its problems, but if they can be sorted out, it could create a much healthier and happier life for thousands of people.