Why Genetic Manipulation Scares Me

Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park said it best by saying, “I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here: it didn't require any discipline to attain it. . . . You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it.”

Granted, Ian Malcolm was a fictional character, but I think what Michael Crichton was trying to convey in his best selling novel is the inherent dangers of genetic manipulation.

Apply that to humans instead of animals and you have a whole new can of worms.

Back in 1990 when the Human Genome Project started, most people understood the enormous benefits of mapping our DNA. From the possibility of genetically eliminating cancer to the superficial like changing our eyes to a preferred color – the possibilities were and are endless.

But now, the greater question is, where does this all stop? What are the challenges and consequences we will and are already running into? And the big questions: What about cloning?

To that end, manipulation and experimentation of human DNA scares the hell out of me. To think that we can and ARE injecting human DNA into cow embryos is frightening. I understand the medical implications to a point, but I personally don’t condone the experimentation. The questions of ethics should be enough to sway any person or government from such actions, let alone the broader religious implications.

As a matter of fact, throw religion and morality out the window and ask yourself what the broader repercussions are for screwing with human DNA? As a species, that should be our number one concern. Don’t get me wrong, I admire the scientists and read in awe of the scientific breakthroughs we achieve every day for the betterment of humanity, but when those breakthroughs infringe on the identity of humanity itself, that’s where the line must be drawn.

Plain and simple, our uniqueness and individuality are at risk. We may not see these changes today or 10 years from now, but definitely in our lifetime if we continue down a path of playing God.

To quote Ian Malcolm again at the conclusion of the conversation above, “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

Amen to that, Doctor.

ER