- what happens if you want a boy in your family since your family already three girls? What could you do to increase the odds? Picking the sex of your child can be done now w/ invitro fertilization (IVF) once fertilized eggs divided into eight cells, that mass can be tested for sex and then implanted in the mother's womb.
- what if you really loved your dog or cat and wanted one exactly like it? Apparently, a company existed for 2 years called Genetics Savings and Clone and was able to clone a couple 
of cats. It shhut down in 2006 for reasons I can't quite fathom (besides my basic revulsion of the idea, other qualms), but here's an NPR link to a radio interview about the company when it opened in 2004 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4176651
of cats. It shhut down in 2006 for reasons I can't quite fathom (besides my basic revulsion of the idea, other qualms), but here's an NPR link to a radio interview about the company when it opened in 2004 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4176651- Here's a more recent story from 2009 about a Korean company that cloned a Labrador Retriever for $155,000. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AmazingAnimals/story?id=6762235&page=1
- what if your only child died or had was dying from an accident and making a clone to replace the missing or needed parts was the only way to replace or help that child? This would be a tough one for me to answer b/c I've never ever been in a situation like this, and I don't know how desperate I might get to save my daughter's life. If making a clone of my daughter to create stem cells could help her, I would be all for it. Chances are, scientists wouldn't have to go as far as cloning to help her since our body makes stem cells all of the time.
- But, South Korean scientists in 2004 were successful in cloning a human embryo using the same person's cells (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1672523&ps=rs). The idea was to aid the woman's health, not clone her. Even so, a recent poll in America states that 84% of Americans feel that cloning humans is morally wrong.
- if you had the chance (and it were possible), would you pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born? Would you want a child that is more predisposed to music, athletics, math, or would you try to pick the hair and eye color and let fate take care of the rest?
- Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?* Would it create a separate subspecies of humans like portrayed in the movie Gattaca - those who have been enhanced and those who haven't? If you haven't been enhanced, you're stuck in a 2nd class citizenry status much like African Americans were before the Civil Rights movement, while those who have been genetically enhanced (those with money, of course) get the best pick of jobs, lives, etc.
Pick at least three questions (one must include the last one about ethics*) and answer them by tomorrow before class. Thanks. 300 words minimum.
Sources:
Read up on the bioethics of cloning pets - http://blog.bioethics.net/2005/01/cloning-beloved-pets-is-the-least-of-our-problems/
Mighty Mice article - http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/magazine/in-pursuit-of-doped-excellence-the-lab-animal.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Gallup Poll on Cloning - http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=5736
Moral Obligation to be part of a medical research study - http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=5909
If you want a boy in your family since your family already three girls / if you had the chance (and it were possible), would you pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born? - Besides being a trivial point in genetic manipulation, I feel like if you were to alter any genes for any of these purposes it would throw off the world's natural balance. To a certain extent, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and if everything were up to us to decide we would live in a twisted, lopsided, and bias world. I think it would be easy for certain traits to totally die out, even if they were necessary to function efficiently. Things like no more math geeks ("it was too hard, I don't want my son going through that") or no more artists ("I want them to lead a successful life") could really mess up the delicate balance of what we have going now - so much diversity and so much talent that all intertwines to create the nations we have worked so hard to make and uphold.
ReplyDeleteWhat if your only child died or had was dying from an accident and making a clone to replace the missing or needed parts was the only way to replace or help that child? - I would argue that making complete clones (that is, a whole human copy) would be wrong even if it is to save another child/person's life, yet "growing" another heart or kidney would be completely acceptable. I know that somewhere in here my logic could fail, but to it seems different to me if you only make a part of something rather than making a whole, even if compromising the child's life came into play. The parts wouldn't have to suffer or die once they serve their purpose, but another human clone would. I feel like if full human cloning even for health benefits was an option to the public provided the expenses were taken care of, it would lead to a mini-species of clones, which would evoke a second class citizenry status just like if clones or superior versions of ourselves were made for any other purpose.
Is this kind of genetic selection ethical? - No, as further explained in my two previous answers. Mainly because one, it would throw off a delicate balance in our world, and two, it could lead to a separation of classes depending on your genetic background. Also, I don't think copying a "soul" is right, you wouldn't have the rights to copy the unique genes and the personality traits that were given specifically to that individual through a mix of parents/family genes.
Ellie Toth
ReplyDelete5th hour
1. Picking the sex of your child.
When people are having babies, some of them may want to know the sex of the baby so they can plan out their room, name and outfits. However, other people like to be surprised. Either way, you have no control as to what the sex is. I do not think I would want to pick the sex of my baby. If I had all boys and I really wanted a girl, I still do not think I would purposely make it a girl. Picking a sex could turn into picking a paint color: something that seems so simple. I do not think a baby’s sex should be a simple decision. It is like fate again. If you are supposed to have boys, you will have boys, and vice versa. We shouldn’t choose.
2. Cloning an animal
People and their animals can become really close over the years together. They may start to see their animals as friends rather than pets. I am not surprised to hear that some people may want to clone their pet just so they can have the same one by their side. While their clone pet may look exactly like their old one, it will never be the old one. This is what some people do not realize about cloning. Although it seems like it would make sense, that clone will never be the pet you once loved. Cloning is almost a psychological thing that makes you think you have the same thing when you really do not.
3. Ethics
I do not think this kind of genetic selection is ethical. It all goes back to fate. If you have all male children, that is fate. If your child is a terrible athlete but can sing, that is fate. If we chose the sex of our children or their traits, fate would not exist. I kind of think everything happens for a reason. If everything that happened to us was chosen, then there is no reason for why it happened. If my parents had chosen that I would have been a boy and a star soccer player, then I wouldn’t be who I am today; I wouldn’t be who God created me to be. Genetic selection is not ethical. Genetic selection will destroy fate and possibly destroy some people’s beliefs.
I don't think that I would be willing to be apart of a genetic experiment that strengthened and prevented my muscles from deteriorating. I just want to live my life with as little as possible interference from science. I really do not think that this is a necessary procedure. My thinking is that everything happens for a reason. If I am only meant to be able to do certain things then so be it. I am sure that I will make the most of the tasks that I can do. Also, if I am only able to last in a sport for a certain time I think that's just something I have to except. There is some reason out there that God doesn't want me to be able to be able to do certain things. Who am I to mess with the natural course of things?
ReplyDeleteI do not think that I would chose traits for my child. I do not think that it is really the right choice to make. I think that whatever child you might be so blessed to have should be cherished. They should be loved for all the special things that make them who they are. I would want my child to know that they are perfect just the way they are. I feel like manipulating your child in a dish would just lead to self esteem issues. If they found out about it they may never think that they are good enough for you.Plus, I would want my child to have interests that they found out that they truly loved by themselves. Picking what they are good at then pushing them into it isnt my idea of a good time. I would never want to be the helicopter parent.
I don't think that this is a ethical thing to do. These changes would have to happen when the baby was still in embryo form. When the baby is still a embryo it can't tell you what it wants. I don't think anyone should make this kind of decision for their unborn child. It just isn't right for someone to decide your life for you. If the kid grew up and wanted to be some kind of supper soldier, then fine. More power to them for that choice. I just think it is wrong to make these decisions when they person that they are affecting cant speak for themselves. No kind of experiment is right in my mind unless the person agrees to it.
If your only child died or was dying from an accident and making a clone to replace the missing or needed parts was the only way to replace or help that child, then I think it would be ok to use genetic engineering. It’s one of those life or death situations where people will do whatever it takes to live, and I think it would be an acceptable situation to use genetic engineering. Even though I believe if something happens to you, you might as well accept it instead of making a fake you, or a fake part of you.
ReplyDeleteIf you had a chance to pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born, then I think that is just wrong. That’s just above our or any doctor’s jurisdiction. When you have a kid, you don’t get to pick and choose unless you are adopting, but other than that, you get what you get. You have to accept what you get. Changing things like that is going too far, but that’s just in this day in age, I’m sure eventually it will become a reality, and acceptable.
I think this kind of genetic selection is unethical. It just seems wrong to take a human and make it genetically superior than a normal human. I could maybe understand doing this for a soldier in the military, but even then it would still be bad because it would promote warfare. So other than that, I basically believe that you should accept what you have and not try to completely change what you are. Tattoos and pierces and stuff aren’t changing you, it’s just like body art, but when you change yourself on a molecular level, sometimes before you are born, that’s just wrong. No parent should ever chose to genetically alter their kid.
Oran Lieberman
ReplyDelete3rd hour
I believe all choices involving genetic change and cloning are morally wrong out side of the situation presented in question 4.
Question 3
If cloning a human to produce stem cells that were to help the child/adult survive I would be completely in favor of it, however, as stated in the question humans are growing stem cells all over their body and there would be no reason to clone another human. Also the risk of cloning unnecessarily could provide a costly and dangerous outcome.
Question 4
If gene therapy would be able to help people with muscle dystrophy and ALS then I believe there is no reason not to perform this program. Even if this situation could cripple the honesty in sports, lives will always outweigh entertainment. Personally knowing people with muscular dystrophy and ALS and how much they wish they could have these benefits, losing the integrity of sports would seem a more than fair trade off.
Question 6
I think that these decisions of cloning and genetical engineering are unethical if they are not directly involved in saving someone's life. I've chosen this because the mental experience of being cloned would have a harsh impact and genetically engineering children could set up a horrible precedent for families who can only afford one genetically engineered child to have the genetically engineered child be their favorite.
Genetic engineering is not a joke and should not be wasted on unnecessary projects. It should still be studied and expanded upon so that we could use it to further the quality of living. Those are my beliefs on genetic engineering.
Would you be willing to be part of a genetic experiment that not only strengthened your muscles but prevented them from deteriorating with age?
ReplyDeleteIf I could, I would be part of this experiment. I think it would be fascinating to be extremely strong. I could lift more things, lift heavier things, and help others do the same. As I got older, my muscle wouldn’t turn to fat and I could still take part in numerous physical activities. It would allow me to go beyond my physical strengths now, and help me stay strong when I’m older. If this process was inexpensive and safe I would definitely take part in it. If this experiment had any weird side effects or hadn’t helped other volunteers who had received the same surgery, I wouldn’t take part in it either.
if you had the chance (and it were possible), would you pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born?
If I had a child and I could pick traits for it before it was born, I believe I would take advantage of this process. I wouldn’t change how it looked or the activities s/he would be interested in, but I would change my child’s intelligence. It is proven that although environment has a major impact on a child’s intelligence, his/her genes also account for much of his/her intelligence. As I learned about this in AP psych I bitterly looked at my own family history. My father had dropped out of state and my mother continuously tells me “she doesn’t know anything about school work.” I understand that intelligence is more than book work. But I believe that my genes are lacking in the logical reasoning (book work) area. If I had a child I would predetermine how book smart s/he could be, because it would give her/him a boost when it comes to life. But if everyone had enhanced genetics to be more intelligent, to be “perfect” I believe that no one would have a boost when it came to finding a job or being in school, because everyone would be just as bright, hence evening out the playing field.
Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?*
I don’t believe that genetic selection is ethical. Like you had said, it would create an inferior group of people who were not as bright, beautiful, or talented. This form of genetic selection is wrong. People who have money should be able to “buy” success. That defeats the purpose of working your way up the ladder of success. This ethical question reminds me of the movie “In Time,” except instead of having better qualities, people who were more in the superior class of living had more time. They were all born into that lifestyle as well which creates the problem of having a secondary class, such as the ghetto that JT lived in, where it would be near impossible to live in.
Here's my response.
ReplyDeletehttp://its-the-philosophical-blog.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-53.html
Leah Sherman
Would you be willing to be part of a genetic experiment that not only strengthened your muscles but prevented them from deteriorating with age?
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to be a part of a genetic experiment that helped strengthen muscles and prevent them from deteriorating. In my opinion, genetic experiments for the greater good of humanity- for treatments, cures, and other health purposes- are not immoral. There is a lot of controversy on the morality of genetic cloning, but I think when it’s used a need and not a want then it is okay to use. This kind of genetic engineering- genetic engineering to strengthen muscles- could, over time, lead to humans evolving into a stronger more immune species. Hopefully there will be more tests like this in the future to find more cures.
If you had the chance (and it were possible), would you pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born?
I definitely would not pick out certain traits for my child before he or she was born if I had the chance. I think genetically engineering for wants and desires in immoral, as opposed to genetically engineering because of a need like disease. Recently, we watched the movie Gattaca in my science fiction class. It was disgusting how every child was genetically engineered to be a good swimmer, a fast runner, tan, tall, etc. I wouldn’t want to live in a world filled with perfect people. I just feel like we can’t even consider ourselves humans anymore if we genetically engineer ourselves like that. I would want a child to be born naturally. Humans have always had imperfections, and I don’t think we are a species that can handle the perfection we would get if we were genetically engineered.
Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?
I don’t think this kind of genetic selection is ethical. Even though the outcome of these genetically engineered babies is still a human being, I only think that is what they are from the outside. Yes, on the inside they still have the same organs and the same DNA that we do. But they aren’t humans like we are. Picking genes can corrupt children as they grow up. I almost think of it like cheating on a test; you try to take all of the perfect traits (like stealing the right answers from another person) instead of having a baby the natural way (working with what you know, not with anything more). If you want to get on a religious level, you could say it goes against everything God wants for humanity, but even on a non-religious level I still think it’s morally wrong. Plus, I think if genetic selection becomes popular, it’ll start separating classes not by money, but by who can and can’t genetically engineer their children.
1. I don’t think people should clone their dog or cat. We love our animals but I don’t think I would pay $155.00 for the exact same one. There would be so many more strays and animals put to sleep because everyone would just be paying for cloning. You can’t clone an animal’s personality, just their looks. That’s why we love our pets so much, is because of their personality. Every dog/cat can act differently even if they are made the same.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think genetic engineering is ethical. It is basically taking God’s place. We were made perfectly in God’s eyes and it would feel like going against his creation. We wouldn’t need religion anymore. If we could make ourselves perfect and live longer, why pray when you can just pay to be perfect? Fate has a lot to do with it too. No one is not good at anything; if someone lacks art skills then they are probably good at math and science. We weren’t meant to be great at everything; we all have a certain skill that we excel in, and then others that need work. I wouldn’t want to live in a society that could pay to be perfect. It would defeat the purpose of trying and accomplishments would be as fulfilling anymore.
3. I wouldn’t want to pick traits for my child beforehand. It all goes back to religion. God will give my child the best traits it needs to be who he has planned for them. Just talking about choosing the eye color of your baby makes it sound like such a simple decision. Lets go shopping and while were out let’s choose our babies eyes color. It just sounds so unnatural. The baby should possess the traits it gets passed down, not chemicals that will make it better. If your kid excels, you want to tell them it was because they’re so gifted and they worked hard, not because they got certain traits injected into them before they were born. That has no sense of accomplishment.
I absolutely love my dogs. They are so sweet, respectful, and CUTE! When genetic cloning of animals came about, I was completely against it. I thought the process would hurt my dog just to create another dog that was taken over by cells that didn’t allow it to function and use it’s brain in it’s own way. To put it in the least amount of words, I’ve changed my mind. As I’ve learned more, I’ve been told that you can clone an animal by just giving another animal the same appearance, not interfering with anything else. I would love to have another dog that looks just like my current dogs, if and when I loose them. All in all, I would clone my dogs as long as nothing would get in the way of the everyday life of the dogs.
ReplyDeleteI think the most challenging question is whether or not I would clone my own child if they were dying or had died. Though my answer may change in even an hour, right now I say yes and no. Never would I clone my child if they had already died because I could never replace my child. Yes, I would clone my child if he/she was dying and the clone could save him/her. For example, in My Sister’s Keeper the parents had another child so that she could donate her bone marrow and blood to her dying sister. This is when I would say no. Initially I would think it was OK but then I have to remember the feeling of the newborn, is it worth it? Everybody dies, it just happens. Though I’d hate to see my child die, I would have to accept it.
If I had the chance, I wouldn’t pick certain traits for my child. I enjoy playing Sims and choosing traits that lead to specific occupations, but I also enjoy trying to control my Sims without cheating and having those advantages. It’s much more complicated, but as my own child, I would choose that any day. I don’t think it is right to adjust what’s meant to happen. Not that it’s necessarily fate, but it’s genetics.
1.) Child dying from accident.
ReplyDeleteI would have to believe that when I have a child I will want the best and do everything I can for him/ her. I think if the tools were accessible (and in my price range) to grow or produce a clone in order to save my child’s life I would definitely do it. I am all for stem cell research and don’t think that there is a real ethical dilemma on the line. If there is a way to save your child from a life full of hardships, suffering or death, I believe many parents would accept this type of gene therapy. I feel that if this type of medical technique is mastered, there won’t be many parents, given the opportunity, will not seize a chance to save their child.
2.) Picking certain traits for children
Although for many people altering a being that has yet to come into the world would be viewed as wrong, I believe that it would give many children an upper hand in life. If no one were to be given this kind of option there would be no issue. Though if some parents decided to take advantage of this kind of child-editing, what would happen to the children of parents who thought this kind of altering was unethical? Then the children would pretty much be in a second class of child because of a decision that their parents made early on in their life. I am not a crazy conformist in any means but if the population if taking action to better the lives of their children, I would have to agree that I would probably to the same in hopes of giving my child all the tools, before birth, to have a full, equal and successful life.
3.) Ethics
As I discussed above I would, in the grand scheme of things do whatever I could for my child in order from him/ her to have the best and most fulfilling life possible.
-what if you really loved your dog or cat and wanted one exactly like it?
ReplyDeleteThis question is stupid. Unless we're dealing with a race of animals with a genetic memory (in which you'll end up with a healthy pet that remembers dying. Let's see how energetic that thing is...), the personality of the pet won't carry over when you clone it. It wouldn't be exactly like the one that died. At best, it would be exactly like the one that died was in it's first couple seconds of life (differences could occur before that, due to hormonal difference when you're growing the new one). Differences would start to compound as soon as the new one could see and hear, because from that moment on, it's getting different experiences and is thus becoming a separate entity than the "original."
-if you had the chance (and it were possible), would you pick certain traits for your child before he/she was born?
I don't think I would, mostly because I think I have decent genes, and I think my kids could do fine with 'em.
Although, I could see why, if the option were dirt cheap, I'd consider a little touching up: my family has poor vision, high-blood pressure, increased risk for diabetes, and we might have increased risks of addiction and cancer. But I really don't see why I'd give my kid an increased potential for sports (God knows I wouldn't be nurturing those abilities...), or music (regardless of potential, you can get good if you learn early enough), or math (my dad is an engineer and I'm a nerd, I think my kids already have the genes to do well in math).
I think tailoring my kids for certain skills would just make me one of those assholes that tries to live their failed dreams through their kids.
-Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?
Depends what you're using it. If you're curing disorders and reducing the risk of a horrible death involving diabetes, cancer, smokes, and running into a pole you didn't see, then I think genetic engineering is being used quite morally. If you're using it to make a kid with a throwing arm the size of wrecking ball (for all the dads that "almost" made it to the pro leagues), or a little girl with perfectly rosy cheeks and disgustingly white teeth (for all the attention whore mothers who put their kids through child pageants because THEY can't get into real beauty pageants), then the science is being wasted, and we don't deserve to use it.
The subject and idea of genetic engineering and manipulation could affect society a lot. Mutating genes to make a person better at something or enhancing there abilities to make them your ideal figure seems cool but I feel that it is not reasonable. It is not really reasonable because it is not original because one is shifting the DNA around to manipulate a person before they are even born. If I had the chance to be apart of a genetic experiment, I do not think I would do it because I would end up becoming attached to the mutated child since that is the person I am. If something would of happened to make the genetic experiment to come to an end, then I would feel obligated to be like Erick because I would not want them to kill a child just because the experiment is over. If I had the chance to choose certain traits out for my child, although I would like to, I would not do it because I would not want to single my child out and have them be completely different from others. Being different is not a problem but it can be hard for a child to grow up being different because their peers can influence them to make them seem like they are abnormal. I rather just let my child have the traits that they are born with, without manipulation. This kind of genetic selection would definitely create a separation of subspecies. Some people would think that they are better than others and then a pedestal would come into place. If it can occur without genetic selection, then it can occur with genetic selection because people that are genetically enhanced have more of an ability to do certain things better than a regular person because they were manipulated to do that specific function.
ReplyDeleteDying child: Well, I don’t have a child yet so this is kind of a hard question to answer, but if I did, and I had to save their life, I think I would definitely clone the body parts needed to save my child. Why not? I don’t think morals is a huge part of this question, but how much do you value the life of your child? If a person were to not do the cloning, I feel that they are being selfish and not willing to put their own morals aside for the sake of another human life. I would hope that if I were ever in an accident that my parents would chose to clone me, and deal with the after math later.
ReplyDeleteMuscle experiment: I would definitely be willing to be part of an experiment that strengthened my muscles and kept them from deteriorating with age. One of my biggest fears is the ALS disease, and I would definitely help the experiment if it meant finding a cure. It is such a sad disease, and I have seen people die from it. As far as athletes abusing the drug goes, steroids exist and some abuse steroids. It will just come down to how much they are drug tested for the new drug, and how strict the leagues are about using them. I think that if people were to not invent this kind of drug because of how they think athletes might use it, they need a reality check. If it could save lives, nothing else really matters. Again, people are kind of selfish.
Picking traits: If I had the chance to pick traits for my child, I don’t think I would. I wouldn’t want my child growing up thinking of what they could have been naturally, or thinking that I thought they wouldn’t be good enough naturally. I don’t expect my child to be a pommer like I am, or an amazingly gorgeous and rich person like my future husband will be ( hahah just kidding). I want my child to grow up knowing I believe in them and who they can be and that I support who they are, not what I made them to be.
Ethics: I am kind of stuck on the whole ethical thing. I think it is ethical to deal with human genes and cloning, especially if the human being dealt with has given consent. It is another kind of pro-choice thing which I am all for. However, picking traits and genders I think would definitely create some sort of sub-superior race, and it humans would have sub-species. What I think it would come down to is a group of gorgeous, athletic, talented people, and then all of the mis fits whose parents didn’t alter their genetic traits and gender. I don’t think that people should be focused on ethics for all of this, but is the world ready to handle changes like these? If humans on our planet are fighting over land and where boundaries lie, they are not mature enough to handle genetically altered humans. People really need to come to some sort of self-realization and naturally alter themselves before they artificially alter other people.
I do not think there is anything morally wrong with choosing your child's gender. On the surface, it seems a bit selfish that parents would want to force their child into a gender - an integral part of his or her identity - just because they specifically want a boy or a girl. But one must consider that it is the parents who give the child life in the first place. Without the parents, the child does not exist. (How far the parents' rights extend because if this fact is unclear; obviously the parents cannot kill, injure, or otherwise abuse a living child of thier own. Of course, one of the predominant political questions of the past decades has been that of embryo/fetus rights. Is aborting an unborn child ethical? When does an unborn baby become "human?" In turn, what choices should we be able to make for the embryo/fetus?) In my own life, I have seen the reverse of the hypothetical situation in within my family. After I was born, my mom wanted to have a girl - incidentally, she wanted to name the girl Sophie - but came up with three more boys before calling it quits. In my opinion, if parents want to choose whether they want a boy or a girl, they should be able to.
ReplyDeleteI would be willing to participate in a genetic experiment that strengthened my muscles, but only if I was at least 65 years old. For one, the idea of altering my genes in any way makes me nervous. It seems like any gene-tampering could potentially cause cancer or some other DNA-based disorder; I want to have lived a relatively full life before I subject myself to any gene treatment. Moreover, I have spent over half my life fine-tuning my muscles and motor neurons to the specific motions of swimming, and I would not want to somehow jeopardize my progress (at least not while I am still swimming competitively).
I am not sure if selecting your child's genes is ethical. My first inclination is to say no; part of life is dealing with what nature gave you. (The idea of gene selection reminds me of the fictional society in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. In the wrong hands - and obviously in extreme cases - gene selection could be used to manipulate social class or perpetuate a totalitarian government.) But what if two parents' genes make their children susceptible to genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome or Neurofibromatosis? If we have the ability, I think that we should be able to use gene treatment to prevent these disorders and allow more people to live productive lives. The question of whether or not we should be able to select for more superficial traits like eye and hair color is still up for debate in my mind.
1)I think that increases the odds to have a boy is wrong and would end with the child being corrupt in some way. I believe that God puts everything in order and gives us our children and decides what sex we are meant to have. If you tamper with the order of nature I feel that only bad things can result from that action. The best option in having a choice in the sex of your child without affecting the results of nature you should adopt. Adoption helps the children who are already on the Earth and you get the sex you want in addition to that.
ReplyDelete2)If I had the choice to pick the traits of my child I wouldn't do it. If you gave your child the traits that you want, I feel that in a way you would be limiting the child by taking away its special gift that are given by God. I don't believe in taking over Gods job each and everyone of us was made with a purpose even If we aren't the smartest or the fastest we still were given some talent that makes us who we are. If you take away this individuality I think that turns us into robots in a way because we lose what makes us who we are.
3)I don't think that this type of genetic testing is ethical because it would cause a division in the human population. It would only make more reasons to discriminate and treat people as if the are less than others. This would greatly point out the rich from the poor. There is already so much division in the world today I don't think this type of alteration would benefit a great majority. If many people could benefit then the genetic selection would have a whole different positive affect on the World.
is it ethical?-No.When I think about the idea of cloning, of making an exact replica, a copy, a shade, I shudder. It seems so wrong and so awful. Think, what if you were a clone? What if you knew, that you are not really you, you are not new, you are not special, you are not a unique snowflake, it would drive you crazy, it would probably make you consider suicide. We are told that, when we come into this world, we are the first of our kind to born and that there will never be another like us. It is the ideas that, we as humans are a flash in a pan; we are a blip in the existence of a structure vast and great. Cloning take this idea, smacks it in the head with a brick, knocks it to the ground, stomps it in the face, river dances on it’s head, takes it’s money, and runs a way, laughing like a mad man.
ReplyDeletewould you do it to save your child?-BUT, what if my child was hit by a drunk driver, or suffered some other kind of horrible accident? If my child was dying I know it would change me. The life of my child is infinitely more important then any idea or moral issues I may have with it. I feel as if, it were possible I would do anything for my kids, this includes sacrificing certain ideals. It a human life, and not just any, it’s the life of my child. Who wouldn’t do the same? Not counting the people who some how think a god that may or may not exist will swoop down from the clouds and wave his arm, magically reassembling the broken bones.
should we pick traits for our kids? -Would I pick the traits of my child? Yes and no. When my child is born I don’t care if they are tall or short, I don’t care about the color of their eyes or hair, I don’t care what they like to do, it doesn’t matter if they are the most outgoing person, or if they are so painfully shy that they can barley make eye contact with a stranger. If that’s how my child came into the world, that’s who they are, and not even they can change these things (mostly). I want my child to be who themselves, not who I want them to be. However, what if there was something that I could do to give the child a better immune system? Make them resilient to disease, make sure they aren’t born blind, deaf, or with a learning disability ( learning disability= something that makes them special ed or, unable to live a “normal” life, this does not include ADD or ADHD) It is a legitimate fear of mine that I will have a child that has down syndrome, or some other kind of birth defect. The though gives me the creeps, and I know that if I do have a child like that I will love them all the same but what if I could help protect them from abnormalities that could ruin their lives? I’d definitely chose to pick those types of traits, not to give them any sort of edge, I do it to ensure they can have normal lives where they can find a passion, a hobby, have great friends, to go out and find a spouse and one day have children of their own, given such an opportunity I would jump at the chance.
1. If you wanted a boy after having three girls, then you obviously don't know how annoying boys are and will regret it for the rest of your life because girls are most definitely more awesomer. Let's say you don't like taking advice from geniuses, fine go ahead and try to get a boy. I have a few problems with it though, first off, boys are smelly, second, if everyone chose their child's gender then I feel like there would be an imbalance, third, this is messing with natural selection big time. Taking the randomness out of gender gives a lot of power to humans. I don't know if we're responsible enough to regulate how many of each gender there are and can diminish the human race. I can't see too many problems with it as long as it's controlled.
ReplyDeleteIf my child was dying and the only thing that could save him/her was by cloning parts then I'm all for it.It could save lives and help people recover from really bad accidents. My only problem, again, would be about natural selection. But once I thought about it, it's just a really advanced form of medicine. So yes, I would definitely save my child's life by cloning part of them.
Is genetic engineering ethical? It depends. If you use it to create a super race then I don't find it quite so ethical, but if it's used for saving lives (as I said in my second post) then I'm all for it. Creating a super soldier wouldn't be ethical in my terms because their natural self, personality, and whole being would be changed without their consent. I mean embryos can't really tell the people hat they are willing to go through with the operation, Hanna seemed like she would rather not be abnormal by the time she found out the truth. That concludes my thoughts on genetic engineering.
I have a dg and after a long time of having a loving dog I would love to have anther one just like it. The thing that is wrong abut that is that a dog is a dog and that specific dog is special and you should love it for the time being. I would never want to make a clone out of the one that I had. Another way of saying this is that if you love something just enjoy it don’t make anther one just like it. I think when a person wants his or her child to be born they want it to have certain characteristics. Like programming a baby before it is born. But the magical part the mystery is over if you choose how your baby is going to be born. Just like Hanna, she was not normal and she did not like how different she was and that the father she thought that she had was not really her father but was the creator of how she was. I would want my child to be born normal and that I get surprised at what he or she would do later in life. If the baby was born and I thought he or she was perfect because I programmed him or her, he or she might not be normal and perfect to others. I am totally against making what might be the perfect clone f something or the perfect child that can do anything. I do not think that this kind of genetic selection is ethical because you are not creating a life you are creating a human machine. This people will know that they do not belong because of the way that they were born and will turn against the creator. Just like Hanna did with her “father” who was her creator. Before he died he fought with the person he created and disappointed her. She did not feel god abut herself because she just wanted t be one of the normal people.
ReplyDeleteSimay
What happens if you want a boy in your family since your family already three girls?
ReplyDeleteI think that people should just be more grateful with whatever they get naturally because there are many people who can’t even have children due to medical issues. I don’t think it’s a persons decision to decide the sex of their child they should just let nature take it’s course get what they get and be happy. If they really want a boy the should just try again and if they don’t get one maybe it’s just not meant to be, and they’re really just supposed to have all girls or vice versa.
- what if you really loved your dog or cat and wanted one exactly like it?
I wouldn’t clone my dog, that’s ridiculous regardless of the genetic makeup the dog will never be the same as the original. Identical twins have the same genetic make-up but are clearly two different people with differing personalities. Meaning that even though you got a clone of your cat/ dog and it looked like the original it might not have the same temperament and personality as your original per. People need to learn how to grieve in a healthy way and learn to let go of their deceased dog. I think that getting a new dog is much more practical and healthy, with a brand new dog you don’t have to compare it to your previous dog or worry about it living up to the standards of your old dog. A new dog is just that it’s new and you could learn to love it and be happy instead of trying to make a clone.
- Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?*
I don’t think that this kind of genetic be selection is ethical. I think it goes against nature and the way that things are. People are supposed to be imperfect and have flaws, but with genetic engineering people could become borderline perfect. Also genetic engineering would most likely only be an option for the wealthy so it would make the wealthy people “better” and the poorer people would be just average and natural. This would widen the gap between the classes it would no longer just be a gap based on income, but there would actually be a superior class. I think that the division that this type of procedure would make in society is unethical therefore making genetic selection unethical. Also I think only God should be able to create people and make them into who they are, who are we to try and create another being and alter them for the “better” or what we think is better. I think this gives humans to much control that they shouldn’t have.
1. (Selecting traits)
ReplyDelete•if I had the chance to select trsits to give to my child before he was born I think I would choose to do it. This question reminds me of gattaca and so I've already thought about what I would do. I would choose traits for my kids but I certainly wouldn't choose every single trait. The traits I would choose would be like IQ and athletic skill/coordination. The reason I would choose these is because I would want my child to have the best life that he could.
2.(Child dying of an accident)
•if my child was dying of an accident or anything else, I honestly don't know what I would choose to do. A big part of me would obviously want to clone my child so I would have him alive but the big problem of this is that he really wouldn't be my child. He will look and maybe even act like it, but he will never be able to replace the child that I had lost and every single day I would be reminded of that when I saw him. I don't think I would clone my child in the end.
3. (Ethical genetics)
• It is hard to say whether this type of genetics is ethical. This is precisely what I wrote my tech research project on. It is almost impossible to tell which genes and traits should be viewed as unwated and which should be viewed as wanted because every parent has its on perceptions. The problem with this is that you can choose which traits to choose and people will get mad. I think what they did to hannah, however, was unethical. This is because not only did they give her good traits but they took away all the traits they deemed unworthy. Our imperfections are what makes us human and therefore it is like she is not human. For that reason I think they weren't ethical when creating hanna.
Crystal Oropeza
ReplyDelete5th hour
-Choosing the sex of your child
Having a lot of kids and a large family is common in my dad’s side of the family. Picking the gender of your child is not. I don’t think we should get to pick what we want, what you get is what you get. I don’t think that it is right to pick what you want when it comes down do your children. It is all about fate. Whatever happens is supposed to happen. You already have so many choices so choosing a gender shouldn’t even matter. You already choose how you plan to raise them, etc. I mean you’re going to love them anyways, right?
-Cloning an animal/pet
I’ve lost pets before and I would love to bring them back. The fact is I can’t. In my opinion cloning an animal would not be the same. It would only be half of the job. They wouldn’t act the same and I couldn’t live knowing that it’s not the same EXACT pet. It would make me even more upset knowing I can’t have them so the closest I could get was a clone. I think this idea is cool and all but it wouldn’t work well for me.
-Ethics
I don’t think this genetic selection is ethical. As I said in my first response, what you get is what you get. If we got to pick everything we wanted and everything we got we would have no fate. Fate would be obsolete. My religion tells me that God created who I am. If my parents had the ability to plan out who I would be, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I would consider myself fake, because everything that I would be would have been someone else’s plan. Genetic selection isn’t ethical and goes against beliefs and eliminates fate.
I would not want to be part of a genetic experiment, even if they strengthen my muscles and deteriorating my age. Yes it sounds kind of cool but I just want to be the natural me, and let things happen all by its self. Even though the genetic experiment would help me I feel as if, it would do the opposite, because problems could occur later on in the future. My point is I think living the natural way is best, because if problems really did occur at least it would be the natural way, and the normal way.
ReplyDeleteThere is a movie called cloned, they lose their son, by car hitting him while dribbling his basketball and going to grab it in the street. In the movie, everything is great in the beginning, but as he gets older he starts becoming scarier and starts to become less normal, and he deals with problems and starts to hate his parents. I think that losing your child is something that was meant to happen, and he /she is in a good place. It all depends on how you look at the situation, but I wouldn’t make another clone of a child because I know it’s not real nor my own child, if I had a clone I would feel as if I’m dreaming.
As I said in the beginning, I would not choose certain traits for my child, I want my child to be born as them and be who they are chosen to be in life, I almost feel as if that would be artificial, it’s a fake and your child is not who they were meant to be in this world. I think us humans are put in this world for a reason, that’s why we have the traits that we have.
Angelina E.
Claire LaSota 5th hour
ReplyDeleteI believe that if there was genetic selection it would create a subspecies of humans similar to Gattaca and the people who had not been changed would be stuck in a lower social class rank. I haven’t seen the movie Gattaca but I feel that those results who be strikingly similar to what would happen. We would basically go back to the segregation status. Employers would be more likely to hire people who had been through a change to improve them selves so that they were better equipped for a job. Then only the changed adapted people will be holding steady jobs and making money. The “normal” unchanged people will not be able to hold a constant job will slowly fall into poverty and be unable to keep up with the no more competitive job market and society. This will make the modified subspecies of humans’ superior and in charge of the unchanged normal humans. If this was to happen in the United States, it will be like we have gone back in time instead of moving forward.
I believe that gene therapy is a great way to help people who are suffering from Muscular Dystrophy or Lou Gehrig's disease. But there has to be a line drawn to prevent people from abusing gene therapy for their own selfish reasons. As an athlete I know the using a substance to enhance your performance is cheating and a bad thing to do but some people still do it. With how gene therapy does not leave a trace it could lead to an explosion of people performing above and beyond their former abilities. They will be able to use these performance enhancers and get away with it. I feel that if that happened people will lose their integrity and no longer work towards achieving their goals. They will lean on outside forces to achieve the goal.
http://alexanderjpisano.blogspot.com/2011/11/denim-questions.html here ya go
ReplyDelete• Would I clone my dog- I love my dog dearly and I can honestly say that I would clone my dog, reasons being because I know that when my dog dies I will be heart broken and if I had the opportunity to bring back my dog I would. The thing about that though is that I would be concerned about the personality because I feel like the clone wouldn't be exactly the same the clone would be the same as my dog genetically but maybe the traits would be differently organized. I feel like it would be a great opportunity for kids because I think it sucks when a kid has to deal with thief beloved family pet being put to sleep. On the other hand kids do need to learn to handle real life but I guess it would depend on the age of the kid.
ReplyDelete• I would be willing to subject myself to genetic enhancement for certain purposes. I had scoliosis and had to have a rod put into my back to straighten my spine and if the was a gene therapy program that could help turn my spine to normal with my previous amount of flexibility then I would take that opportunity because even though there would be risks at this point now there are things that I can't do because of my back ( can't go to the army for example, very limited flexibility) so I think the pro's out weigh the con's.
• I think that the world would be divided into those that are genetically enhanced and those who are not because hats how the world works people are always trying to be categorized as superior to everyone else so I don't think that genetic testing should be used recklessly, just for those with money it should be used to help those who need it not those who just want it.
Chelsee S
3 - if my only child was dying there is no question as to what I would do to help them. I'd do everything in my power to make sure that my Hilda survived. If cloning was the only way to save my child then I wouldn't hesitate to do so. The only question could be the issue of fate. I wouldn't know if fate may have had a different plan for my child and if so, I wouldn't want to tamper with fates plan.
ReplyDelete5- I wouldn't want to pick traits for my child before they're born. I want my child to be their own passion, whether they're good at sports and terrible at the arts, or vice versa. I would want my child to be happy as their own person. As long as my kid is happy, I'd be happy.
6 - I do believe that many of the methods of generic engineering and cloning described are unethical, but not all of them. If you were put into a situation where you had to choose between saving your only child by using a method that some may not believe is 'right' or just allowing your child to die, I believe that the issue of ethics may just be thrown out of the window. However, this is the only issue that I feel could be viewed differently. Each other option is entirely unethical.
Khadijah H.
Wanting a boy in the family....
ReplyDeleteI personally would love to have at leat more than one boy, cause I of course as a man would want a boy of my own to teach especally how to play sports. Not saying i wouldnt love a daughter becuase i would just if the topic presented itself that i didnt have a boy for a child then that would be a personal matter i would have to think greatly about, even tho thats a ways away I have thought about that before.
Cat or dog you loved....
I have a cat and i think she is awesome. Her name is dolley <3 and i would forusre clone my pet, if of course i had the money. It seems like a crazy amount of money but it could be more understand if someone wanted to clone a dog. ive never had a dog but from what i see and hear about people and there "best friends".
Ethical or not?
I think that a total personal matter, i feel that people religion greatly inpact thier descions becuase that about playing around and 'being god" which i fully understand being from a practicing catholic household. Though i have somewhat grown away from that i think people play the card of more is right or wrong and thats the true question we need to ask oursleves.
Wes M.
Is this kind of genetic selection ethical?
ReplyDeleteI have recently watched the movie Gattaca, it is an interesting movie and even though it wouldn't make my top choices (or even get recommended to a friend) it had a good message. Gattaca portrays a world where genetic engineering is not only common, it is the norm, in fact the world has slipped so far into the treacherous and unknown waters of this field that when a person is born without genetic engineering they are considered "in-valid". This and the combination of ethics make for an interesting topic.
Genetic engineering, scientists are making progress in this field of research and its very controversial. On one hand you have the fact that it can’t not only make lives better but can save lives before they ever need saving; on the other hand, the afflictions that may soon be cured have been the inspiration for many athletes, scientists, and politicians to accomplish great things. Genetic engineering could be a great accomplishment for our society, possibly curing many diseases and much more. But controlling how a baby matures and develops in life not only seem like cheating in a way but also remove the incentive for that person to try their hardest to succeed because everything would be easier for them to start off with. Controlling fate, while I know this may make me seem old fashioned or "stuck in my ways", seems like it can too easily be transformed into controlling evolution and undermining natural things. Because of the distinct things that could very well go too right with this science I feel that the research is not only unethical but unsafe. Now there are those diseases that should be prevented or cured and genetic engineering is the only this that can get us to that point and striving for that does not seem unethical at all. But, there has lately been an increase in the number of developed and developing genetically engineered pointless projects. By this I mean things like making it so people cannot get fat, a perfume that is naturally secreted by the body, and other weird stuff like that. This was one of the reasons Michael Crichton wrote his astounding book Jurassic Park, and also why genetic engineering is teetering into unknown and unethical territory.
Simon
1. I would not be willing to be part of a genetic experiment that strengthened my muscles and stopped them from deteriorating because it’s too risky. I feel like the fact that it’s an experiment shows that they aren’t exactly sure what the outcome and side effects will be so I feel like that would be unnecessarily putting my body at risk. Even though it may help some things since I’d be stronger, it could still have some negative outcomes that outweigh the excitement of these strong muscles. God made us with the muscle strength that we have to survive with so I don’t think we should be trying to change that.
ReplyDelete2. If I had the chance, I probably would pick certain traits for my kids before they were born. I feel like this would be a good thing to do because I could pick traits that would allow all my kids to have successful, happy lives, and I feel like this is the whole point of life so it would be nice to be able to make sure that they’d be happy. I would, though, make sure not to pick traits that could be damaging or not beneficial to them. The only traits I’d choose would be the important ones.
3. I don’t think that genetic engineering is necessarily ethical because God made the human species the way it is for a reason and I feel like he didn’t intend to have people just altering the species whenever they wanted. This would basically be like making a whole new species which isn’t necessary. I think we should just change ourselves using natural ways; science shouldn’t begin to intervene with what the human species is. Unless there became a point where we needed to use genetic engineering to survive, I don’t think it’s necessary.
Philip
Ryan Williams
ReplyDelete3rd Hour
1. The first question I’m answering deals with the issue of invitro fertilization to determine/pick the sex of your kids. I feel that the sex of your child isn’t really that important. Parents who truly love their kids love them no matter what sex they are; and in this day and age, especially in our society, males and females basically have the same rights and opportunities. Back in the 1800s and early 1900s women were kind of like second class citizens but now because of things, like the Feminist movement, women can practically do anything men can do. Now I think it would be ok for parent s to determine the sex of their kids in certain extreme situations, like if a couple had 18 boys and wanted at least a girl or two to switch the flow up or if the heir to a country’s throne had to be a boy so in order for the family to stay in power they needed for their baby to be a boy.
2. The second question I’m addressing deals with if you, as a parent, would want to pick certain traits for your child before he or she is born. Even though it might not be totally ethical, I would be for the ability to pick the traits your child had. I think this could really help your child have an advantage in life. You could make sure your child won’t be skilled in a dying profession, like boxing or watch making, and ensure he or she will have the skills required for a steady profession. I also think it would just be cool to be able to do this, I could just see myself having a troupe of lil geniuses/athletes/world class performers and just showing them off to my friends.
3. When it comes to ethics I think that the cloning of pets and the use of stem cells is ethical, but the choosing of your child’s sex using invitro fertilization and the ability to choose the traits your child are both unethical. There’s nothing wrong with cloning pets it truly doesn’t hurt anyone it just helps the family cloning their pet deal with their lose. And using stem cells is also like cloning your pet it only helps the person who needs the stem cells and doesn’t hurt anyone. I think the use of invitro fertilization to determine the sex of your child is unethical because it’s potentially drastically changing the life of the person that’s getting there sex determined. Just think how you’d feel if you just learned that you actually were supposed to be the opposite sex but your parents changed your sex. Choosing your child’s traits also is unethical because like invitro fertilization it also changes the life of the person affected by it. And it’s also kind of like playing God when you determine what a persons gonna excel at in life.
I really like my cat, and if she died, I’d be really sad, but I wouldn’t clone her. Even though the new cat had the same genes and appearance as my old one, it still wouldn’t be my cat. The new one would be raised slightly differently and would have different experiences; therefore, the cat would be different. I also would be totally willing to get a new cat, or maybe even a dog.
ReplyDeleteWhile it would be tempting to pick certain traits for my child before they were born, I wouldn’t. If my child was born unnaturally gifted at something and they discovered that they weren’t born with a talent but it was designed, one of two things would happen. Either the child would become depressed because they didn’t feel that they deserved their skill, or they’d decide that they’re better than everyone else and become obnoxious, cocky, and impossible to be around. Neither is good. And if people discovered that my child was genetically enhanced, they would have less respect for their skill. Even if it was only picking their traits, it would remind me too much of Brave New World which would freak me out.
Again, being part of a genetic experiment that would strengthen my muscles would be tempting, but I wouldn’t do it. Being able to be strong or fast or do incredible things would be cool, but I’d always feel like I was cheating. I run cross country, and while it would be amazing to be super fast and win tons of races with genetically enhanced awesome-ness, it wouldn’t feel right. I’d be beating people who were trying really hard, had practiced a lot to get where they were, or were actually naturally gifted. And I’ve also seen the movies and read the books, these sort of “experiments” never end well for the testers.
-Rachel G.
Tipping the odds in your favor regarding genetics:
ReplyDeleteThis seems like the most ethical form of cloning to me, albeit somewhat dumb. It sounds to me like a whole lot of work for something that really isn't that huge of a deal. At the same time, however, I'm unsure, because I wonder a lot about fate. If the gender of the child I'm may or may not have in 10 years has already been predetermined, by fate, who are we to screw with the system? Up to this point, I feel like everything in my life has happened for a reason. I trust that logic, why disregard it now?
Being part of a genetic experiment:
I feel like that's something that would be cool to be a part of, although I question the ethics of it. I get a vibe from the whole cloning situation that says to me "too much power for one person". I do agree with the medical edge this could give us though. Imagine the amount of people we could save from muscular dystrophy or ALS if we were able to give them shots of new genes? That would truly be fantastic. However, in regards to athletes doping to gain an edge, I don't necessarily agree. Based on what we talked about in class the other day (gene therapy), it seems a bit excessive to pay 20,000 dollars a year and take six shots a day for some predetermined period of time, just to add 1-2 mph on your fastball.
Ethical?
I'm too split on this to give an adequate answer. To me, there are too many points for and against cloning. Like we discussed above, being able to give someone a shot that would modify their genes and potentially save them from some genetic disease and eventual death would be great. However, I'm not sure I like the idea of parents choosing traits for their child. Part of being a good parent (I believe) is loving your child no matter how they end up, who they grow up to be, or how many faults they have. I personally would love to have a musical child, but I don't think I'd want to imprint that in my (hopefully) daughter's genes.
So I guess I don't really think it's ethical at all.
I love any question that has to do with genetic manipulation because I think that in the future this will become a very controversial issue, as soon as it becomes possible. We have never been able to encounter these problems before so it really raises some questions that blur the lines between affecting the body positively, and actually changing it to the point of past being human.
ReplyDeleteFor the question concerning muscular enhancement I think this is closer to the realm of medicine. All it does is help a potentially damaged body. This could get a little sketchy in the realm of sports because it is changing a persons phisical ability but for medical purposes i think it could be a plus.
The question about children traits comes straight out of the movie GATTACA. The movie adresses the problem of genetic tampering and the the moral is to not do it because many problems can come out of it. There is a line between medical help and playing God and I think this crosses it. Changing a person to like one thing or another totally crosses the line and, although it would be nice to know your child was being setup for success, I would object to this.
For the last question, as I have said before, I think it is totally unethical to mess with any genes when it comes to creation. Helping to improve someones life after is different, but pre birth tampering seems wrong to me. There are many movies about people trying to use genetics to their advantage like Jurassic park and Gattaca,
and the moral is always that Humans should not play God and I agree
2. I think anyone would have be crazy to clone and animal or human for the reasons that the Korean company did. It would be extremely weird to have around a cloned dog or cat. In the left side picture on the question you see the family, their new dog and the cloned puppy and it doesn't seem right. Having to dogs identically alike born over a decade apart. It would be even more weird if it was a human. I could not imagine a mini clone running around on meeting myself 20 years younger. I am curios to know if the new puppy has similar traits or the enjoys same favorite toy.
ReplyDelete3. This is a tricky question. If you or a loved one was dying from injuries sustained in an accident and the only way they could survive was from creating a clone, what would you do. By creating this clone you are killing a living embryo, but by not creating it you are killing yourself or a dear loved one. By going through with the clone you are basically have a planned abortion.
7. No, I do not think genetic selection is ethical. If and when genetic selection does become popular and easily available to those with money, then I don't see anyway how the poor who cant afford gene selection can not become 2nd class citizens. The upper class will become stronger, smarter, healthier, and live longer. It would be obvious to any job employer who they would want for the job.
1. Honestly, yes. I would probably, if given the opportunity, go for a genetic experiment to make myself stronger, basically bulking up-- especially if my muscles would not deteriorate in the future. I think I would because I think working out is absolutely horrible. I don’t like to work out-- I especially don’t like to work out more than once. If this procedure did exist, then I would only have to work out once and not worry about losing the muscles that I gained. I think because it is natural to the body that it is okay. There would be no need to worry about who is bulking up using steroids. It is simply a case of who hits the gym more.
ReplyDelete2. Knowing me, I would probably have my children genetically enhanced. Personally, I’d go for the good looks, blond hair, blue eyes, tall and skinny. I’d also want my genetically perfect children to be properly nice and respectful as well as well cultured. They should be prone to everything including sports, music, acting, arts, and also, they must be very smart. I kind of like being in control so when they are in the “being made” process-- I would be the best to control it. Obviously. When they are finished being made, then it will be okay for fate to decide how they lead their lives.
3. I think that genetically altering human life is ethical if you are the family who is altering your child. I think that to people who are less privileged or disagree with the benefits of genetic enhancement, it is unethical. I don’t see it to be such a bad thing because some people are just naturally genetically perfect. We don’t necessarily praise or dismiss them. We also just assume that these people are genetically perfect as well. Are they really? How would we know. I am sure if a person is genetically enhanced, they wouldn't go around bragging about it. (they would have the bragging gene left out). So therefore, I think that genetic enhancement is ethical.
Dog question
ReplyDeleteIf I had the ability to lone my dog and it would be exactly like it, then I would. This is basically a means of becoming lazy though. It takes away effort of training and raising a dog if it is exactly alike and you can’t form a new personality. My dog is very fun and happy but also a bit territorial when it comes to food and toys. I would probably get a clone of exact genes because making a copy of your dog is exactly that, a copy. This is like inception, its not the real deal and the dog will never be the same but I would still do it just because he was my only dog so my perfect dog, a copy is the closest I would have
Genetic enhancing
I would totally be for the muscle enhancing and less deteriorating with age. This is basically like asking, hey would like to become a sort of super hero and live longer. This would give you the upper hand in basically everything. First of all, sports and physical activities would be incredibly easy. You could be captain of everything, basically like wolverine without the healing. The aging thing would help because you could have a mature and knowledgable mind in a younger and more physically fit body. Its basically the ideal person to present day.
Picking traits
I think that picking traits is a hard one. You want your child to be special and an individual but I think an exception would be if you could see their traits before they were born. I would do it to prevent diseases or abnormal formations, but not much to looks. I would probably make him/her more intelligent possibly physically fit but those are things that would make their lives better. I would not go all out and make them the photoshopped cover model because that producing self-centered people with raging egos, unless a trait you could pick was being humble. I would just change things if necessary to make them successful, intelligence mainly.
1. Picking the sex of your child.
ReplyDeleteI do not think I would want to pick the sex of my child. I think that is a main part of first becoming a parent, finding out the sex of your baby and planning their room and getting them clothes. When you are a parent it should not matter if you are having a boy or girl because you will love this child the same no matter the sex. Even if you could pick the sex of your baby by invitro fertilization, I would not pick. If I had all boys and wanted a girl, I would try to have a girl on my own. If I could not then I do not think it is meant to be for me to have a girl. I think it is fate. I do not think that the sex of your baby is a decision that you should make.
2. Cloning an animal
If I could clone my animal, I would not do it. Even if you clone your animal if may not act the same as your old pet. The appearance will be the same but it is not the same animal that you have grown to love over the years. It is a part of life to live and to die and it is also part of life to move on when someone or something dies. If your animal dies you should just move on and get another one when the time is right.
3. Ethics
I do not think this kind of genetic selection is ethical. People should not be able to pick the traits of their baby or if they will be talented or not. Everybody is given a gift and this gift or talent is not given to them by their parent. This is fate. I think the way you apply your self is what detects if you will be living a 1st class or 2nd class life not your genetic traits.
The first question I want to answer is whether or not I would clone my only child to replace the missing or needed parts. I definitely wouldn’t clone my only child if it had died in an accident because cloning the child still wouldn’t change the fact that the original child had died. Also that child would more than likely have a completely different personality than the original child so it wouldn’t be worth it to clone the child if it wasn’t exactly the same personality wise as the first child. In the case that the child didn’t die and it just needed parts or stem cells from the clone I’m still not sure that I would do that because to do so would mean cloning a new child to use it for its’ parts even though it would still be a human with its own personality. The second question I’m answering is whether or not I would want to pick certain traits for my child. Honestly I wouldn’t want to do that because I think we are born the way we are for a reason so it doesn’t make any sense to try to change the natural way of things. Also picking and choosing traits for your child is really selfish because when picking the traits or predispositions you take away the child’s ability to chose what they may like in the future. I definitely think the world would be divided by those who were genetically engineered and those who weren’t because as humans we natural have that drive that makes us competitive so those genetically engineered people would naturally have the best the world has to offer because of their “superiority” while those who weren’t fortunate enough to be genetically enhanced would be left with whatever the others don’t want.
ReplyDeleteLeah D.
1. I think that if you want to choose the gender of your child, it would be a waste of resources. Isn't one of the beauties of having a child not knowing what the gender is, but letting nature take its course? Being able to choose the gender of your child reminds me of ancient China, when they would kill off baby girls because having a son was considered more of a blessing because they could take care of the family. Although killing the babies was an extreme, I still think it's a very shallow way of thinking and it would eventually go to peoples heads thinking that they can change whatever they want about an unborn child instead of it being a natural process.
ReplyDelete2. I think that cloning one of your pets would be the coolest thing ever. I for one, would love another one of my cat because she's adorable, fat and fluffy. Although the personalities wouldn't be the same (which I would be fine with, my cat runs away from everything) because it's experiences would be different, but it would be really neat to have a clone of a pet that you adore. But I think that technology could be expanded to wildlife and clone endangered species before they die out. Preserving wildlife I think would be an excellent idea because these animals are so beautiful and it would be a shame if we wiped them all out.
3. Morality and ethics come into play with genetic modification, I think, when people start to take these things for granted. Like I said in my first answer, people would become materialistic and change everything about an unborn child instead of it developing naturally. In some cases however I think it would be very beneficial to clone or modify someone. For example if someone needed a kidney transplant, instead of waiting months or years on the waiting list for a donor, a doctor could clone the person, or just the kidney itself so it would for sure be a perfect match and they wouldn't have to wait as long.
Just like Mr. Wickersham, I’ve never been in the situation from the fourth question, and hopefully never have to be. But in reading this prompt I compared it to whether it to the person I care about most in the world, as I imagine a person’s child would be to them. I think that cloning a person, even to save them, would be such a difficult decision to make. On the one hand, I feel like I would want more than anything to save that person, but on the other, I think it would be hard to do that to the clone, who would still sort of be a person, and since they’d have no experiences they’d basically be like a brand new person, an innocent newborn. I’d feel wrong creating that person just for someone else, not because they’re wanted. It’s sort of the same situation as the parents were put in in the movie My Sister’s Keeper, and that tore their daughter a part to have to live with that, the idea that she wasn’t really wanted for her own life, but for her sisters. The next prompt I chose to respond to was the sixth, about whether I choose to pick certain traits in my child before they are born. I think that on the surface I would really want to, as would most people, but after thinking about it I wouldn’t want that. I think that part of having a child is being able to discover those things, and allowing them to naturally take after relatives, or develop different qualities from others. One situation where this would be really useful though, would be in a situation where there is genocide, like the holocaust, where to save the child’s life, you could pick to make them look physically different. For the last prompt, I understand how this could happen, but if it becomes a way to get the better job options and lives, I feel like it would become almost parallel to what has happened with college education in that it would become more common for people to have this done, and then it would make the playing field level, because everyone would have strengths, some in the same areas, some in different, it could just make our planet way more efficient. But it would also make it easier to struggle and fall behind for some people. I think it’s a horrid idea, I really believe that we should try to stick to natural development, but in certain situations, some of these concepts could be more beneficial then hurtful.
ReplyDeleteEmily A.
Genetic selection is not ethical. By any means. It does not help, probably, that I am taking a holocaust literature class right now. But this is exactly the type of selections that took place in Nazi Germany to cleanse its entire Jewish or Non-Aryan community. Those born without Blonde hair or Blue eyes were considered a sub-species to the “almighty Aryans”. Now, it is important to remember that both parents and children get frustrated, or lack similarities both wish they had, does not mean that it should have been prevented. These conflicts are part of what makes us human, and also teaches us how to love one another. Even for our differences. For what better way is there to accept things you don’t like but to live with it. For example, there are many homophobic people that get married and have children that are homosexual. Now, there is never this confrontation with such a person that you are close to that conflicts with the very thing that you hate. But, many people have learned to overcome their homophobia because their daughter or son were lesbian or gay, respectively. Similarly, there are other situations that a child deviates from your schema of a ‘norm’. But that is part of what makes us not ignorant or hateful. There is a certain lack of understanding that comes with not putting an effort. That effort can’t come from the outside world, or even create the same tremendous impact as it would if you were forced to live with the very thing that caused you fear.
ReplyDeleteWould i be willing to partake in a genetic experiment?
ReplyDelete-Yes, I would definitely be willing to be a part of a genetic experiment if I knew it would strengthen my muscles and prevent them from deteriorating as quickly. Obviously, I would be very skeptical about the risks, or side affects of the experiment. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be the "original guinea pig." I'd rather be a part of a second phase or something, where the tests had already been run on other people, with a small fail rate. I would be a little paranoid if I were the first person to go through these assumingly intense procedures/experiments.
Would I predetermine traits for my children?
-No, if given the opportunity, I would not predetermine my children's traits. Not that I can really speak from experience, but from what I've observed, a lot of parents understandably want their kids to share the amazing experiences they had as kids by following in the same footsteps. "It made me happy, it'll make them happy." However, I feel like even with the child not knowing that their lives had pretty much been predetermined, there would be a sense of sadness. I don't know how to really put this in words, burly I feel like the child wouldn't be truly content later on in life.
Is this kind of genetic mutation ethical?
-I think it depends on which specific type of mutation, and the reasons for doing it. And even then, there would be a handful of ethical reasons. First off, I think I made it pretty clear that I don't think that predetermining traits for your kids is ethical. And, looking at the other choices we were given for this blog, I think I'll talk about the cloning of animals to save other animals. I think this Type of mutation could be ethical, but only if the cloned animal was ever in pain. Much like in the movie, My Sister's Keeper, where the parents birthed another child so she could provide her sister with all the organs/blood she needed, I would hate to see another animal in pain for the sake of desperate owners.
Patrice