Medical AdvancementsWARNING: Possible side effects include the demise of genetic imperfection and outcasts
...their life-style, the epidemic that affected them did not seem important enough to research. People went on living their lives apathetically and the band played on, even though life in America is supposedly valued and millions of dollars are spent in curing diseases. It is valued and money is spent but only on what causes we find worthy. Only when AIDS started to affect woman and straight men, were effective measures taken. Thus our medical advancements are not really advancements if we use them as a means to promote one group over others. In this preference to a specific group, we end up creating an ideal type of human race. Those whose lifestyles are considered unconventional or those with genetic defects become part of an inferior race. Eugenics, according to Francis Galton, is the improvement of the human race by controlling reproduction. Through this, the mass decides what is good and if eugenics succeeds, undermining those who are not ‘perfect’. In Gattaca, Vincent who, through his DNA, is determined to be ailing and thus worthless, fights against his odds and succeeds, hence proving that genetic make-up does not judge a person’s worth and capability. Advancement and practice of Eugenics will result in a social upheaval. As Diane Paul in her book Controlling Human Heredity: 1865 to Present states, Eugenics is not just a study but also a social policy that causes great concern. It will impact how society acts and who society will consist of in the future. In a society where Eugenics is common in practice, many parents will abort their child at any sight of a disease or abnormality. In Daniel J. Kelves and Leroy Hood’s Code of Codes, the repercussions of the practice are examined. If parents continually abort children with abnormalities, we undermine the fetus’ life and do not value those who have handicaps. People tend to believe that those with such abnormalities have a “Wrongful life”. People who still decide to have a baby with a genetic defect have no option to alleviate the situation. As the authors state “what therapy is currently available for most diseases or disabilities that can be diagnosed prenatally: none, then what good does diagnosing these diseases serve? In most cases, people use the information to abort babies than for the sake of preparing. We hold the principle ‘equality for all’ dear to our hearts but if we abort every fetus that shows any sign of a genetic defect, we are not practicing the principle. As the book states, a problem that can arise from advancement in DNA is denial of a job or insurance based on your DNA. Even if such preference or rejection is illegal and DNA is kept confidential, there are illegal means to which an employer can collect DNA. As with Vincent in Gattaca, he faced the dilemma of an employer taking his DNA illegally through unavoidable ways. Eugenics can also be abused, as the authors point out that it was in practice during the holocaust. Will the rise of Eugenics become genocide against those with genetic defects, considering them inferior? As Paul mentions in Controlling Human Heredity, people think Eugenics is cle...