Against Altering the Genetic Code in Humans

The genetic code is a set of rules defining hot the 4 letter code of DNA is converted into 20 amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins. They consist of the nucleotide triplets of DNA and RNA molecules that are called codons and carry genetic information in living cells. Every codon represents an amino acid which create a sequence to form a polypeptide. Knowing what we know about the genetic code, just because we can change it should we? In my opinion we shouldn’t. We should not be able to modify the genetic codes of human, it just isn’t right. Changing the genetic code would be interrupting with nature and the diversity throughout the human population. Modifying the genetic code may lead to other diseases and bigger disadvantages. It is also abusive to the system and the way things will work.

To begin, I am against changing the genetic code of humans because doing so would interrupt the diversity that is found throughout the world. Our world consists of so many different races and religions that so many people would be against these things and would try to create a child that is favourable by all. Society would become very repetitive as all men would look and act almost the same and all the women would look and act almost the same. Since, all the racism and discrimination in the world, people would try to avoid both of these factors and try to create someone simple with no ethnicity, no religion, or no beliefs. Our world has become so judgemental that people are starting to want to alter their offspring so their offspring can have nothing to be judged about. This is a terrible thing as everyone will be the same; all men will look and act the same and all women will look and act the same; this would completely kill diversity as everyone would be the exact same.

Next, I am against modifying the genetic code of our offspring because in doing so we expose the probability for other, new diseases to be released. The alteration of the genetic code in humans has not been tested much. Therefore, we do not know what we would be getting exposed to in terms of the offspring whose genes are being altered and in terms of the mother who is carrying the offspring getting their genes altered. Modifying the genes of an offspring may lead to more diseases and defects that we do not know about and that may be worse or even incurable. This is a very big risk especially considering that it could lead to a disease or defect so much worse. Some things that are wanted to be altered are not worth altering if it may cause these defects. The way we are created is the way we are created and we should not want or should at all change things about how we look and who we are as people.

Afterwards, I am against altering the genetic code in the offspring of humans because doing that could get very abusive to the system and affect how things work in the world. These are not even our bodies, they are the bodies of our offspring, so what gives us the right to determine what they look like and how they act. The world needs to stop being selfish, the world needs to grow at it’s own paced. Altering all these genes would create a world so boring that could get very dirty. The world would get simplistic as no one will be different, all minds would be the same. There would be no one saying they did this or that as everyone would have the same mind, creativity will go down the trash and no one would be unique in any way as they would all be the perfect human being.


In conclusion, I am against the alteration of genes as it would destroy the diversity in the world, it could arise for more diseases to be created and spread throughout the world, and it creates a very abusive attitude towards the system. All these things are steps that may and will destroy the world.  

Works Cited
Nature News. Nature Publishing Group. Web. 16 June 2017.
Porostocky, Art By Thomas. "Pro and Con: Should Gene Editing Be Performed on Human Embryos?" National Geographic. 13 June 2017. Web. 16 June 2017.
"Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering." Conserve Energy Future. 24 Dec. 2016. Web. 16 June 2017.

Comments

  1. Anonymous19 June 2017 at 16:01

    Andrew, I'd like to say that you have some really good points on how you view the altering of the human genome. I would just like to say that I disagree with the way you view the next best advancement in medicine. I believe that James Watson may have not portrayed his ideas to you, the same way that he has to myself. Religions and ethnicity will always be around and the diversity of the world will stay the same if we stick to the science and not the aesthetics of the human race. Medicine is advancing rapidly and genetics are so personal to a unique person. This can then mean that treatments can be personally applied to the that individual needing medical help. Their personal blueprint can help from the deadly, incurable genetic diseases that may have been passed to them from their ancestors. This topic should be viewed as a medical advancement and not for ethical status change.

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