Ethics of Genocide and Eugenics Essay - 1407 Words

Gene Therapy: Genocide and Eugenics or Striving for a More Perfect Population Controversy and Ethics Just as there are different types of people who look at one glass of water and describe it as half full or half empty, the public has many different views on the future of our society. Gene therapy is also a glass that can be viewed in different angles – different perspectives. Some say it has great potential to shape the ideals of our future, while others believe it signifies intolerance for disabilities, imperfections that supposedly deplete from a person’s interests, opportunities and welfare (quoted by Peter Singer, xviii). This global issue has brought people with different opinions in the open, arguing their views using history,†¦show more content†¦They were set from the day you were born, influencing every physical trait about you; whether you were tall or short, the color of your hair, eyes and skin tone. But now, genes have been found able to be flexible for some change. Instead of just settling on the outcome of the â€Å"genetic lottery† (Sin ger, xx), we now have the ability to determine our own characteristics through gene therapy, the treatment that replaces a defective gene with a normal one to cure genetic disorders. Many scientists and others believe that if gene therapy can be refined, it could be implemented to ultimately put an end to genetic disorders. The parents would have the children they want, and the children who had the natural disposition towards a genetic disorder could possibly become a normal child, whereas otherwise they would probably end up losing their life due to abortion. Those that support gene therapy view it as a win-win strategy: â€Å"For who is harmed by the genetic supermarket? The parents are not harmed by having the healthier, handsomer and more intelligent children that they want. Are the children harmed?† (Singer, foreword) If a treatment is implicated before the child is born – germline gene therapy – he or she could lose all trace of that defective gene, and therefore wouldn’t pass the disease on to future generations. In somatic gene therapy, treatment is conducted when the patient is anShow MoreRelatedEugenics Essay1545 Words   |  7 PagesEugenics, the word that got its bad reputation years ago through an event that changed history: the Holocaust. First dubbed by Francis Galton in the 1880’s, the word Eugenics stemmed from the words â€Å"good† and â€Å"generation.† (Eugenics-Meanings) Eugenics means the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population. 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He claims â€Å"When people marry there are certain things that the individual as well as the race should demand. The most important