Ethical Genetic Engineering? Michelle Seares , Dan Hussey, Robbie Canning

1. Ethical Genetic Engineering? Michelle Seares, Dan Hussey, Robbie Canning The history of genetic engineering in humans can be traced back to the early 20th century with eugenics in the United States and the Nazi regime in Europe. Genetic engineering resurfaced in the late 1980s with the Human Genome Project, which recently concluded its studies in 2003. As we look to the future the technology is almost at the point where “designer babies” could become a legitimate option. With pregnancy screening currently available the ethical questions have arisen with much debate on both sides. In our project we have examined genetic engineering from the past (eugenics), present (human genome project), and future (designer babies and pregnancy screening) and the ethical debates that accompany each case. Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms or of children before birth. The growing substantial use of genetic engineering for agricultural purposes has opened the door to the idea of human genetic engineering. Genetic engineering has become the ethical question of the 21st century, with great debate and reasons on both ends of the spectrum. Pros: -Eradication of debilitating diseases and mental retardations -Children for those who are unable to procreate -Extended life spans -Best opportunity for children to succeed Cons: -Genetically similar race, susceptible to disease -Greater rift between wealthy and poor -Those who aren’t modified are less likely to succeed In Vitro Fertilization -Common, accepted (albeit expensive) fertility treatment -Emerged in late 1970s -In 2006 41,343 births were a result of IVF in the US alone -In 2009 in the UK a mother gave birth to a girl whose embryo had been selected to be free from a form of breast cancer Ethical question about the rights of the unborn child -Fetus should be free from genetic modification -Parents should have the choice because they bear the responsibility of raising the child Current Practices -Prenatal diagnosis or screening -Diagnoses birth defects such as Down syndrome, chromosome abnormalities, and other diseases such as spina bifida, cleft palate, Tay Sachs disease, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, and fragile x syndrome -Preimplantation genetic diagnosis and preimplantation genetic screening (PGD) • The term eugenics was coined by Francis Galton to refer to “one born in good stock, hereditarily endowed with noble qualities.” • In the early 20th century, eugenics became an intellectual and social movement, which endeavored to improve the hereditary qualities of the human species through science. • Eugenics research at the time was largely inconclusive. Even so, eugenicists made bold claims about the genetic basis of “feeblemindedness” and those at the bottom of the human race. • Eugenicists in the US successfully lobbied for eugenics based immigration restrictions and there was the passage of compulsory eugenic sterilization laws in over thirty states. By 1933, the US had sterilized about 30,000 Americans. • The argument for sterilization was to prevent individuals from passing on defective genes. • Eugenic sterilization was only adopted in Germany after the Nazi’s came to power. By the end of the Nazi regime, Germany had sterilized over 300,00 individuals. • Ethical problems of eugenic sterilization: • Biological side: Many of the traits for which people were sterilized did not necessarily have a genetic basis, rather, they came from environmental effects and cannot be passed down through genetics. • Moral side: There were questions discussing whether or not sterilization was “cruel and unusual punishment,” and also regarding how the state was able to determine who was defective and who was not. • Human Genome Project • The Human Genome Project was an international scientific collaboration of research with the primary goal of mapping the human genome. • The HGP started in 1990 and took 13 years to complete • The human genome consists of 25,000 genes • Why map the human genome? • Knowledge of the complete set of instructions that result in the human body is important for many aspects of health care including developing more effective medicines • While the project is considered complete, some heterochromatic areas (genes that have an effect on variation of the genes around them) remain un-mapped • Recently, federal courts struck down patents on genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. However, about 20% of human genes are already patented and multi-billion dollar industries have been created through the intellectual property that those patents grant • Why is it bad to have patents on human genes? It basically privatizes that which is involved in the laws of nature. The corporations trying to patent these genes that have been discovered, not created. It’s like Columbus trying to patent America because he found it first.