Genetic Revolution
...people who have Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and other genetic disorders through genetic therapy. By putting regulations on genetic treatments, the opportunity to help cure man’s maladies caused by these crippling diseases is taken away. One cannot deny that some people view genetic manipulation as a moral evil. Many people consider it unnatural and to be, tampering with God’s work. When news on the cloning of Dolly the sheep was released, many people were intolerant on the subject of cloning because they thought it was immoral. Leon Kass, chair of the committee to investigate stem-cell research, stated, “We are repelled by the prospect of […] cloning because we intuit and we feel, immediately and without argument, the violation of things that we rightfully hold dear” (qtd. In Levine 50). Admittedly, this is how many people feel about genetic manipulation as well, but those people have not taken the time to educate themselves on the benefits cloning could have. The possible benefits of genetic manipulation outweigh the risks. For example, many people who oppose cloning overlook how scientists can learn about different diseases and how they manifest themselves and how they work. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome project (HUGO) believes that, “new technologies including […] automated DNA sequencing, have allowed the program to become even more ambitious” (Horton 1044) writes Richard Horton. With 99.9% of the human genome mapped, scientists can now understand the sequence of DNA and where the faulty genes are located on the DNA. Through genetic manipulation, scientists can develop a way to replace the damaged tissue caused by cancer or disease. If legislation didn’t limit the expanses of medical research, scientists could clone a healthy person’s heart cells and inject them into the areas of a heart that is damaged. By injecting healthy heart cells into the damaged areas, the chance of survival w...