There are other practical uses of gene technology in other areas, one being crime fighting. Before genetic fingerprinting was developed, scientists had to rely on identifying certain proteins in blood or body fluids, but now just a hair, a minute speck of blood or a drop of semen can serve as sources of DNA enough to damn or clear a suspect. The chances of these tests on the DNA being incorrect are infinitessimaly small and as such this technique has helped to track down hundreds of murderers, rapists and burglars just because of one small piece of evidence left at the scene of the crime.
A realistic target for gene technology would be to clone animals on the verge of extinction. Scientists have kept full copies of the DNA of animals such as rhinoceroses, tigers and condors so that maybe one day clones may be brought to life. There is an example of a clone of an animal, Dolly the sheep. However this clone died prematurely which could have been a side affect of the cloning. This is a very big issue, no-one is certain for sure whether there are side effects or not so this may not happen for years, or it may not even be allowed.
The final major area of advantages of gene technology is a very controversial one, in agriculture. The potential is obvious, and happens in some parts of the world; genetically modified plants which taste better, last longer, and provide more. This can be applied to animals as well, for example cows which can produce more litres of milk a day which is better tasting. So for a farmer selling produce this earns more revenue. On a broader scale, genetically modified crops could be grown in areas where there is little arable land or in areas of drought, as genes allowing plants to do this would be introduced into desired plants that couldn’t otherwise grow there. This could provide food in areas of starvation. However, there are many concerns over genetically modified crops.
This point leads on to the disadvantages of gene technology, the major one being and the one which all others link to is that there is much we don’t know about gene technology. Can we guarantee there will be no side affects in the short term and the long term, and is it right to change nature as some people believe naturally occurring incidents happen for a reason. Ethics and regulation are key issues concerning gene technology which need to be addressed.
Firstly, the concerns over genetically modified crops, of which there are many. One which features prominently is the creation of ‘superweeds’. It would be very difficult to guarantee that there would be no hybridisation across species e.g pollen from a GM crop spreading to non-GM crops which could easily result in the loss of biodiversity and the creation of a plant or weed which gained a major advantage over natural competitors due to extra genes being obtained that might make it immune to weed killers for example. Also, people have the right to know whether produce they are consuming has been genetically modified, yet often producers are unwilling to say so. An ethical reason against GM crops is that human beings do not have the right to treat nature as a commodity and to genetically alter it for their own convenience and profit. What is also difficult to establish is who has the right to allow a company to produce a GM crop and would they take responsibility if something wrong were to happen? Creating consistent and safe regulatory frameworks between countries around the world would also be necessary, yet this would be very complicated, costly and practically impossible. Such valid and prominent concerns slow down the progress of gene technology.
Ethical concerns is an area in itself which weighs on the mind of anyone against gene technology. The main questions are, ‘Do we have the right?’, ‘Who controls it?’ and ‘Do we have a right to privacy?’. The first question is purely down to personal opinion but a query raised by most people against gene technology, and one that probably weighs on the mind of people developing it too. The concern is that things happen for a reason, and it goes against religion to change the will of God. The very idea of gene technology questions the principles of people and cannot be ignored by some. Some of the potential outcomes of gene technology, bad or good, are potentially very frightening and certainly could change the world forever. How ever the second question is answered, there is certain to be someone who does not agree and so this is another disadvantage of gene technology; it is very difficult to pin a potentially world changing responsibility in the hands of small groups of people, and everyone will want a say.
The final question addresses a very potential outcome of gene technology, the creation of genetic profiles. It might be possible that eventually scientists will be able to tell if any person would contract a certain disease or illness, and therefore create a genetic profile of that person that could be viewed by potential employers for example. What if a possible employer knew you had genes for heart disease? Would they take you on? There are many other examples of this and the reality is obvious, there would be no privacy for people and prejudice would become prominent even more so in day-to-day life. Another point is would you even want to know? There is a test for Huntingdon’s chorea, a devastating, incurable mental disease, which affects people at about forty. If someone knows it occurred in their family would they really want to get a test, find it positive, and live with the knowledge that would you would only lead a normal life until the age of forty? This applies to many other illnesses as well. These three questions are but a few of many ethical concerns which come as a disadvantage to gene technology.
Presently, there are many advantages of gene technology, which people know are safe and help millions. This is prominent in medicine. However, the reality is that there is so much unknown, so much potential for disaster and the simple fact that people cannot accept it as it goes against what they stand for. Any progress made therefore has to be made very slowly, but to many people it is worth the wait as there is so much potential. Personally I look forward to some of the prospects of gene technology, and appreciate how it helps society with the applications in use now. I think gene technology should be allowed to develop as long as the process is slow and controlled. The advantages are clear but people fear what they do not know, and unfortunately that is the main disadvantage of the majority of gene technology.
Bibliography
In the following bibliography the sources are given first. Each bullet point shows which sections of the essay the source was used for. The title of that chapter or section on a website is then given in quotation marks.
1) ‘Genetic Engineering’ by Jenny Bryan.
- Advantages in medicine: ‘Bacteria factories’ pg.18
- Advantages in medicine (checking unborn babies): ‘Genetic profiles’ pg. 34
- Advantages in crime fighting: ‘Genetic fingerprinting’ pg. 19
- Advantages in learning about the past: ‘Reliving the past’ pg. 55
- Ethical disadvantages (a right to privacy): ‘Genetic profiles’ pg. 38
2) ‘Biological Sciences Review’ Volume 17 Number 2 November2004
- Advantages in agriculture: ‘Birds, bees and superweeds’ pg.24
- Disadvantages in agriculture: ‘Birds, bees and superweeds’ pg. 24
3) http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3081
- Advantages in agriculture: ‘Genetically modified food’
4) http://www.spinneypress.com.au/122_book_desc.html
- Advantages in agriculture: ‘Debates- arguments for genetically modifies foods’
- Disadvantages in agriculture: ‘Debates- arguments against genetically modified foods’
5) http://www.txtwriter.com/Backgrounders/Genetech/GEcontents.html
- Advantages in medicine: ‘Medical applications’
- Advantages in crime fighting: ‘DNA fingerprinting’
- Ethical disadvantages: ‘Ethics and regulation’
