for a number of reasons and I will be explaining these along with my view on each
issue.
Many religions may argue that only God has the right to interfere with our genes and
that it is wrong for scientists to be in control of life rather than God. Religions may
also argue that by scientists interferring with life they could get rid of certain genetic
features which the parents are not particulary fond of, which could be like the
creation of a master race. It would also mean that whilst cloning, only ceratin
embryos should survive so the others would get discarded and many Hindus would
argue that this is going against their Ahimsa (the belief of non-violence). Another
reason as to why religions may be against scientists interferring is because the
parents may choose ceratin features to be included in their child and this would be
like creating a designer baby, which would mean you are altering Gods original
creation of children on donors. In my opinion I think that scientists should not
interfere with our genes because it leads to a string of problems such as 'designer
babies'. Many religious people would be against the idea of 'designer babies'
because that would be like 'creating your own baby' which is wrong and you should
not alter Gods creation. In some cases such as when a mother or father or both
carry a faulty gene, I think it would be acceptable for the parents to go to a scientist
and have this faulty gene removed in order to make sure that the child does not have
to suffer and also for the future generations to come. Another issue which I strongly
disagree on is the use of genetic engineering on animals. Hindus believe that every
living thing is a creation of God and has an Atman (soul). As a Hindu I believe that
testing medicines on animals is wrong because if the medicine is made for humans
then it should be tested on humans also and the animals should not be made to
suffer.
Some people believe that it is ok for scientists to interfere with our genes. They
have a number of reasons as to why they believe this. Many Christians, Hindus and
Muslims would say that by scientists interferring, they are finding new cures for
illnesses which is a good thing because then less people are made to suffer and
when people do develop an illness, in most cases they'll already have a cure. Some
people believe that it is no different from finding a drug cure. Another reason as to
why people agree with genetic engineering is that people believe there is a big
difference between creating cells and creating humans and as long as the
regulations are clear there is no problem. Some people may also argue that
embryos are not life and therefore you are not destroying life. In my opinion, I believe
that by scientists getting involved a number of good things can come out of it such
as cures for diseases. Although genetic engineering can lead to a lot of advantages
for people, I believe you should only allow the use of genetic engineering in cases
which would benefit a persons life, such as removing a faulty gene. However, I do
not agree with the use of genetic engineering to create designer babies because
this means you are altering Gods creation. I also disagree with cloning becaue I
don't think this benefits anyone and also, you never know what problems can occur
later on.
Overall, I have learnt a lot about the different views on genetic engineering. There
are a number of different issues which may concern people such as religious and
family issues. Although it would be a great advantage for scientists to discover new
medicines and cures in order to aid people. In my opinion I believe that these tests
should not be carried out on animals because animals are one of Gods creation
and no one should have the right to interfere with or alter this.
By Sejal Madlani
