My contribution to our group presentation of the advantages
and disadvantages of genetic engineering in humans is to highlight the
disadvantages. Genetic engineering does have many advantages by possibly curing
hereditary diseases, eliminating genetic disorders, preventing children being
born with disabilities, etc. But as the field develops further, many
disadvantages can arise for the population as a whole. As with every field
concentration, genetic engineering and biotechnology will develop innovations
and grow to offer changes to even more areas of genetics. For this discussion I
will highlight on two disadvantages of genetic engineering in terms of genetic
enhancements.
A disadvantage that will arise very close to when genetic
enhancement first becomes available at the consumer’s choice is further separation
between social classes. Stratification amongst social classes is a well-known
fact of contemporary society. Genetic enhancements threaten society’s equality
even more by providing another form of stratification between social classes by
limiting a resource from the lower classes. Genetic enhancements give higher
classes even more room for improvement of themselves and allow decedents more
ability to succeed even higher than the lower classes than these classes did
previously. Genetic enhancements challenge the question of whether innovation
should be beneficial to society as a whole or can be available to a minor
fraction of the population and solely benefit the individual.
Speaking long term, genetic enhancement threatens the evolution
of humans and greatly decreases genetic variety amongst populations. If the
majority of the population's genomes were to become similar due to the same desired
mutations being put in place by genetic enhancements then there would be less
genetic diversity, including in immunity. The majority of the population would
suffer from pathogens successfully intercepting their immune systems. It would
make it very difficult for populations to prevent the spread of viruses and
other pathogens since a much lower percentage of people would have the immunity
needed to fight off these pathogens.
http://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-genetic-engineering/
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