Prenatal and Cosmetic Genetic Modification - Essay Example

Total Number of Words 803 Prenatal and Cosmetic Genetic Modification The practice of prenatal and cosmeticgenetic modification is unethical, for it can make children or people in general become less unique as human beings. Based on this particular enthymeme, the major premise is that “the practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification is unethical” whereas the minor premise is that “prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification can make children or people in general become less unique as human beings”. Therefore, any person who practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification is unethical (2) Specifically the main purpose of this essay is to prove and reason out to the readers that the practice of prenatal cosmetic and genetic modification is something that should be considered unethical. In relation to the essay’s enthymeme, this essay aims to address the following questions: (1) What makes the practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification unethical?; (2) Does the disadvantages of prenatal genetic modification outweighs its advantages in terms of moral, religious, and ethical concerns of most people?; (3) Does the practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification make children or people in general become less unique as human beings?; and (4) How can one prove to the general public that the practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification is indeed unethical? (3) As explained by Link and Frye (125), prenatal genetic modification and cosmetic genetic modification are two different medical procedures in the sense that prenatal genetic modification is all about altering the unborn fetus’ genes in order to increase the chances whereby the child can enjoy the long-term benefit of having a sharper mind whereas cosmetic genetic modification includes the process of repairing skin-deep problems such as sagging skin which can be repaired through Botox injections. In general, there are quite a lot of reasons why the practice of prenatal and cosmetic genetic modification should be considered unethical. For instance, as a common knowledge, the practice of prenatal genetic modifications will empower each couple to choose their preferred genetic makeup for their child(ren) (Link and Frye 124). However, in the article written by Michael J. Sandel entitled “The Case against Perfection”, the author mentioned that the practice of prenatal genetic modifications is unethical since it deprives the child his or her “right to autonomy” (Link and Frye 124). (4) By nature, each person will have their own unique set of genetic makeup which they can inherit directly from their parents. In the process of altering the child’s genetic makeup prior to birth, people who wish to practice prenatal genetic modifications could somehow interfere or distort the traditional biological explanation behind the natural flow of human procreation processes. With this in mind, one can easily argue that the process of modifying the child’s genetic makeup during the prenatal period will prevent these children from having their right and freedom to choose what they want and how they would like to live their lives as they grow and reach the adulthood stage (Link and Frye 125). [Specifically the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) paragraph explains the negative impact of using prenatal genetic modification process on human rights. In line with this, arguments made in this section can serve as one reason as to why the practice of prenatal genetic modifications should be considered unethical.] (5) In general, the term “ethics” is referring to a philosophical approach which aims to analyze right or wrong behaviors and conduct. In most cases, ethical practices are usually based on what certain group of people believe and accept as a cultural practice. In relation to the forced alteration of the physical and genetic features of each child, one can also argue that the practice of prenatal genetic modifications can affect the existing concept and theories behind the study of sociology. As a common knowledge, the study of sociology concerns about the social and religious beliefs and practices of each group of people (i.e. those who belongs to a certain race and nationality). Since the prenatal genetic modification aims to alter the genetic feature of a child during the prenatal period, it is clear that the moral implications behind the said practice can be really serious for some religious groups. (6) As a person, I grew up from a family that strictly observes the religious teachings of a Catholic church. I remember the times when we were told that the act of interfering God’s plan such as committing abortion or the use of contraceptives in family control is strictly prohibited (Link and Frye 128). It only means that it is immoral and unethical on the part of the Catholic people to go against God’s plan. Furthermore, it was clearly explained by Link and Frye (128) that the process of undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) program which requires growing some embryo on a petri dish and eventually discarding the unused embryo is similar to the act of performing abortion. Likewise, Link and Frye (128) also mentioned that to show the public that children are a gift from God; parents should avoid selecting the gender of their baby. Instead, parents should learn to accept children without altering the gender of their baby (Link and Frye 128). Using these three (3) arguments, one can easily conclude that the practice of either prenatal genetic modification is good example of medical intervention that can strongly interfere God’s plan for each one of us. Based on religious context, one can say that the practice of either a prenatal or a cosmetic genetic modification can be considered as a wrongful doing. Therefore, this type of medical intervention should be classified as something that is obviously unethical. [The fifth (5th) paragraph serves as an introduction about the link between the practices of prenatal genetic modification with religious concerns whereas the sixth (6th) paragraph discussed my personal knowledge and experience with regards to Catholic beliefs and practices. Eventually, several point-of-views coming from Link and Flye were used to support my personal arguments with regards to Catholic religion and the practice of prenatal genetic modification. In other words, paragraph 5 and 6 provided the second concrete evidence as to why the practice of prenatal genetic modifications should be considered unethical.] (7) Other possible reasons that can be use to explain why the practice of prenatal genetic modification is unethical are not limited to the fact that it deprives children of their autonomy or rights and freedom to decide for their own lives (Link and Frye 125). In fact, there are also some other moral issues behind the practice of prenatal genetic modification. For instance, back in 1997, Link and Frye (124) discussed the case of a cloned sheep named Dolly. Back then, the existing genetic modification technology that was used in cloning the sheep was still new. Ever since the cloned sheep died prematurely, a lot of people became more focused and interested in analyzing the moral and ethical concerns behind the practice of genetic engineering. (8) Specifically the cloning technology is similar to the case of prenatal cosmetic genetic modification in the sense that technology used in the process of performing a prenatal cosmetic genetic modification is still not perfected. Because of the endless imperfection in the development of genetic engineering technology, there are a lot of scientists who consider the practice of cloning to be unsafe (Link and Frye 124). Furthermore, the fact that allowing pregnant women to undergo a prenatal genetic modification program can increase the risk wherein the child can suffer from a long-term genetic abnormality or a premature death also makes this particular medical intervention subject to a long-list of ethical and moral concerns (Link and Frye 125). Aside from depriving children of their autonomy or rights and freedom to decide for their own lives (Link and Frye 125), the risks of creating abnormal children or causing their premature deaths can also serve as an evidence as to why the practice of prenatal cosmetic genetic modification should be considered unethical. [Seventh (7th) and eighth (8th) paragraphs serve tackled the adverse health consequences of having an imperfect technology on genetic engineering. Using this as the third argument, paragraphs 7 and 8 clearly explained that it is unethical to practice prenatal genetic modifications since it can increase the risks of creating abnormal babies and/or increasing the incidence rate of premature deaths.] (9) Upon analyzing the social impact of this particular scientific technology, the practice of prenatal cosmetic genetic modification is not at all bad since this technology can be use for treatment of various diseases or health problems like muscular dystrophy (Link and Frye 125). In fact, it is also possible that prenatal genetic modification can be used to prevent hereditary diseases such as diabetes and cancer among others. However, there are several moral and ethical issues that can normally arise each time a pregnant woman agrees to undergo the process of prenatal cosmetic genetic modification. [Paragraph 9 aims to deliver a specific counterargument behind the statement that the use of prenatal genetic modification practices is unethical. To prove the health benefits of prenatal genetic modification practices, this paragraph clearly explained that the use of this particular medical intervention process can somehow improve the quality life of each person. Likewise, this paragraph created an open line to discuss another reason as to why the use of prenatal genetic modification practices is unethical.]. (10) For instance, as explained by Link and Frye (125 – 128), the use of this particular medical intervention can trigger the development of social, moral, and ethical concerns each time people will decide to undergo the process of prenatal genetic modification to select the gender of their baby or create and raise children with immunity to certain diseases or have specific physical features or intellectual capacity more than what most average children have. In the process of enhancing the cognitive development of each person through genetic modification, Link and Frye (125) argued that the use of prenatal or cosmetic genetic modification technology can somehow increase the risks whereby medical intervention could indirectly create two (2) different types of social classes among the human beings (i.e. a group of people who are willing and can afford to pay the price of genetic modification and those group of people who are not willing or do not have enough money to pay the price of genetic modification). [Paragraph 10 can serve as evidence as to why the use of prenatal genetic modification practices is unethical. As a gift from God, this section argued that people should avoid selecting the gender of their child(ren). Aside from interfering with God’s plan, the process of using prenatal genetic modification technology can also unconsciously promote the widespread of gender discrimination]. [11] Evidences and arguments presented in this essay strongly support the idea that the process of promoting prenatal genetic modification is unethical. Therefore, people should think twice before engaging in this particular medical intervention program. Works Cited Link, Earl C., and Steven Frye. Crosscurrents: Reading in the Disciplines.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011. Print. Read More