The promises of genetic engineering seem almost limitless. In only a few years, scientists have developed methods for producing valuable new substances and materials, and predicting which diseases a person is likely to get in later life. Even more remarkably, medical researchers have been able to locate the genes responsible for nearly six hundred diseases. Locating these genes is the first step toward repairing or replacing them and thus preventing the diseases they cause. Together with the many benefits of genetic research, however, are the dangers and risks involved whenever scientists interfere with the basic structures of life.
One of the most significant risks of genetic agriculture is the possibility that genetically engineered species will mix with natural species. Scientists are not able to predict the results of such a mixing. For example, scientists have successfully engineered a new species of carp, a fish that is popular in many parts of the world. This new species contains a growth gene from another kind of fish, the rainbow trout. The new kind of carp grows twenty percent faster than ordinary carp. What does the future hold for such 'improved' species? Will they destroy all the other fish in the oceans? When only the engineered species are left, will these die out from some genetic weakness that scientists have not foreseen? Clearly, it is dangerous to play such games with nature.
Another major user of genetic engineering techniques is manufacturing industry. Genetic manufacturing could be more dangerous than genetic agriculture. In manufacturing, microorganisms are changed so that they will produce desired substances or perform desired functions. Because these creatures are too small to be seen without microscopes, and because they tend to reproduce rapidly, their potential for creating hazards is great. One of the greatest dangers of altered microorganisms is their tendency to undergo spontaneous mutations. When organisms mutate spontaneously, they change into different organisms without any outside influence. The changed organisms may be much more dangerous than the original, genetically altered ones. Some critics worry that mutating organisms could get out of control, spreading new, incurable diseases or destroying agricultural crops.
The area of greatest concern to the critics of genetic engineering is medical science, for genetic medicine would affect people directly by altering human genes. One of the fastest growing fields of medicine is transplant surgery, which can often extend the patient's lifespan and improve the quality of life. As a result, there is a large demand for replacement organs. However, relatively few such organs are available. Genetic engineering may provide some solutions to this problem. Genetic techniques will enable doctors to predict the kinds of diseases that a person is likely to experience later in life. Even more remarkably, genetic engineering will eventually enable scientists to create humanoids that could
be used as a source of spare organs. These creatures may contain human hearts, kidneys, lungs, and other organs. However, the use of humanoids would present a completely new set of ethical problems to be discussed and resolved.
Another example of a genetic technique that may soon have implications for genetics is amniocentesis, a procedure for determining the sex of a fetus. In some societies, in which boys are prized more highly than girls, mothers who do not want to give birth to a girl occasionally use this technique to determine whether or not to have an abortion. With the help of genetic engineering, by changing the genes on a single chromosome, the sex of a baby could be changed while it is still in the womb. Again, however, this must be dealt with before such a procedure could be permitted.
In dealing with the ethical concerns of generic engineering, another issue to consider is eugenics. It is concerned with using biotechnology to remove biologically undesirable characteristics to make genetic changes that will improve an organism or species. Soon, doctors will be able to give us a list of our genetic weaknesses. In other words, they will be able to tell us what genetic diseases we are most likely to get and how we will possibly die. Even before biotechnology provides us with treatments for these diseases, however, we will have ethical choices to make. Society will have to decide who is allowed to use personal genetic information and for which purposes this information may be used. Genetic information about individuals poses two important concerns. One is whether knowledge of the information is itself potentially hazardous to the individual; the other is whether institutions will misuse that knowledge to foster their own dominance and control. In the near future, employers may demand to know the genetic profiles of their workers. They may fire or refuse to hire people with certain genetic weaknesses. Schools may refuse to admit children whose genetic profiles indicate behavioral problems or learning disabilities.
In view of these ethical considerations, society should consider seriously whether science should be thinking about genetic engineering of human beings at all.