This is not totally safe because we don’t yet know its consequences, we don’t know what will happen when it has passed its genes to generations ahead it might cause disease that has no cure.
Cows have been engineered to produce high protein milk or meat e.g. cheese making known as Pharming. The milk contains twice as much kappa-casein (protein which makes cheese) than usual.
Farmers are paid by looking at how much kappa-casein a cow produces in milk, more the greater pay. There is also little possibility of these new genes spreading to the wild population.
People in the society have very little support to this argument on GM.
Animal welfare think of this and animal cloning as not acceptable and is animal cruelty and suffering. Religious issues might concern changing gods creation. Living things and have ‘free will’ they should not be our experiment.
By law this is banned in Europe and Canada. (Ref: 4)
If you are an adult and have record of illness such as breast cancer or sickle cell anaemia etc. then you are unlikely to get mortgages. This will change the way you live and your social life, because you cannot do most of the things that you planned to do for future. You will have to earn money, this is ethical and legal you cannot do anything about it.
Advantages and Disadvantages of GE:
By using GE we can increase the food production enough so that it is possible to feed this growing world. This is what is happening now, if GE is stopped, the world will be limited food supply and therefore hunger. Therefore food will be much more expensive and poor would not be able to afford it.
Crops can have longer shelf lives than conventional crops, therefore benefit to shoppers and sellers. E.g. tomatoes, scientists can stop enzymes by changing their structure therefore enzyme stops working so it doesn’t make the tomato getting old.
On the other hand if enzymes (that stops ageing of tomato) stop working they will still be left in the tomato and when we eat they will be in our body and can damage or destroy our cells.
(Ref: 3)
Using modern biotechnology scientists have already produced food which affect humans indirectly. Food with improved flavour, food that is better for health and food with better qualities. Examples of these are apples and sweet corns that are insect resistant, frost resistant strawberries and production of seedless grapes (terminator genes). (Ref: 6)
This might sound good but without seeds they will then not grow this means that scientist would then need to keep on cloning to produce the seedless grapes. This might change the gene structure over period of time and may cause anomalous results.
Another important ethical aspect of GE is its medical purposes. For example cystic fibrosis (CF) maybe cured if a gene can somehow enter the cells that line that lungs, it will begin producing the critical proteins that CF patients lack. Scientists are working on this right now and some patients receiving this treatment have already been able to produce this protein in small quantities. GE and the knowledge about the effects of DNA variation among individuals can lead to different, easier new ways to treat and even prevent thousands of disorders that affect us. (Ref: 6)
Genes could also be manipulated in trees for example, to absorb more CO2 and reduce the threat of global warming. Therefore increase in environment safety. But at night the trees might take in more oxygen and decrease oxygen level in air, and can increase global warming.
Nature is an extremely complex inter-related chain consisting of many species linked in the food chain. Some scientists believe that introducing genetically modified genes may have an irreversible effect it can possibly change the entire food chain with consequences yet unknown. (Ref: 1)
Bring in herbicide resistance into a crop plant. The crop could then be sprayed with herbicide that would kill the weeds but not the crop. This would reduce competition for nutrients and therefore increase the crop yield, bringing more profit for the farmer. Disadvantage: There is a possibility of gene transfer from the crop to weed. This would make the weeds resistant to the herbicide, difficult therefore result in an increased use of herbicides that would kill plants in the surroundings. (Ref: 2)
There are more serious issues about GE which include genetic warfare of ethno-bombs. This can be used to finish off the enemies of particular human race at a particular place. Scientist can control a bomb that can kill people with particular genes. This can kill innocent people. This is an example of how human technology can lead to violent and danger. This relates to all ethical, social and environmental issues. Genetic warfare is immoral all the society are against it because it can destroy humans, crops/food therefore food will be hard to grow, it can destroy the o-zone layer and it can destroy trees therefore less oxygen available in air.
From the evidence I have gained, I can see that the problems form a strong argument against it.
In theory, GE seems like progression in the right direction, however, there are many disadvantages. A large area of concern is the ethics of GE. People may disagree with it because it is unnatural.
However, I do think that it is acceptable to a certain extent, such as cloning an organ for curing or saving a life, but not cloning an entire person.
References (ref:)
1) http://www.whitings-writings.com/essays/genetic.htm
2) http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/gn301/Supplements/GeneticEngineering.html
3) Author – David Barrett
Title – Genetics Evolution
Published in – Edinburgh
Publisher – Nelson Blackie
Page number – 93-96
4) Magazine
Title – New Scientist
The global science and technology weekly
Volume – 117 no. 2380
Published in - London
Publisher – Natasha Ward
5) Lecture
At: Queen Mary University
Biology Lecture
Lecture based on: Genetic Engineering
Date: 12/02/03
6) Horizon Video
