Download Genetic Engineering Discussion

Genetic Engineering Discussion – Make up
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Write a short paragraph on each of 5 topics (subtopics) listed below. Each paragraph should include
your stance, your opinions pro/con supported by clear reasons/arguments.
Genetic Dating - many dating services available online now; however, with the human genome project
completed, a person’s genome could be known  genetic compatibility, could be used by “dating services”
a. “credit cards” with your genetic info on them, find your perfect match (genetically)
Genetic Discrimination (Gattaca - movie)
a. Employers will not hire you without insurance
b. Insurance companies will not insure you if they know that you may die early
c. Criminal genes? If they exist, should people be screened?
d. England keeps DNA fingerprint of all its felons. Should the US?
Knowledge of time of death, Huntington’s disease, etc
a. Do you want to know if you have a lethal disease that you are unaware of?
b. Estimated Time of Death - look at the length of your telomeres, could tell your time of death +/- 5 yrs
c. Lengthening the life span of humans to 130-150 years?
d. Infant screening? Diseases, mental illness, cancers, etc. Height, athleticism, IQ, appearance, weight??
Transgenic Organisms - Animals
a. drought resistance, pest, herbicide Genetic engineering could create crops that grow in desert heat,
or without fertilizer. Genetic engineering could make bananas or other fruit which contain vaccines
or other medical products.
b. transplants using animals – fuse patient’s human cells with pig embryo – piglet has organs that
have same cell markers as donor and can be used for heart, lung, other organ transplants.
1. insert human genes into animals (1, 2, how many? Limit? Before they become “human”?
c. bacteria – producing human insulin, making human products in bacteria, too much like playing God?
d. also includes insertion of human genes into sheep so that they secrete alpha-1 antitrypsin in their
milk - a useful substance in treating some cases of lung disease.
Cloning
a. “Repet” - clone-a-pet (6th Day with Arnold), $20,000 to clone her cat in 2003
b. clone humans? Rich person wants to leave his fortune to “himself” (clone) He does not have any
family to leave his inheritance to.
c. clone important leaders, famous movie stars, or geniuses (ex. Einstein) etc.???
d. cloning of a dead child…. Couple tried to have a child for many years, finally successful but child died
from an accident at 5-6 years old.
e. Creating more clones of the same child, spaced years apart, to create a whole family of clones. (triplets
instead of all at once, spread over 6 years or so)
f. Harvesting organs from clones (very low supply of donor organs now available) or growing organs that
were removed from fetal clones for transplant into original donor
g. Cloning of an extinct/or endangered species?
h. First copyrighted living organism = bacteria created thru GE, so should humans have copyrights over
other living things that they create through GE?
Gene Therapy
a. replace mutant gene with normal gene  cure
b. eugenics? Creating the perfect animal/plant/human (already through selective breeding of animals and
plants to obtain the best hybrid)
c. saving/curing thousands of people
Genetic engineered foods ex Flavr Savr tomato
a. Foods- would you eat corn, tomatoes, “designer foods”?
1. secondary products from molecules consumed in host and/or in humans could cause problems in
humans
b. crops – Monsanto created engineered crops that are sterile, therefore, farmers must buy crops from
Monsanto every year
c. animals – produce more milk, larger (growth hormone, mouse the size of a rat ~1987?)
Bioweapons – should research by USA get restarted because of terrorist threats? (bacteria warfare from
genetically engineering the “Superbug”)
a. anthrax attack on US 2001
b. Iraq attacking the Kurds 1990’s