Ronald Green Building Baby From Genes Up Analysis

SUMMARY/PRECIS Professor Ronald Green of Dartmouth University, in his article, Building Baby from Genes Up, addresses the topic of whether or not genetic engineering is a viable technological advancement for our society to pursue and argues that although there are many potential drawbacks, the overall benefits of genetic engineering outweigh its downfalls. He supports this claim by addressing the variety of benefits that genetic engineering can offer, then by categorically refuting counterarguments and finally by presenting his opinion for why each downfall of genetic engineering is surmountable. Green’s purpose is to shed light on both sides of the argument when it comes to genetic engineering, while posing the idea that genetic engineering …show more content…
The advantages are obvious. First of all, there are a multitude of hereditary diseases, passed down from generation to generation, killing individuals at early ages. For example, Huntington’s disease begins to show symptoms around forty years old, and within a few years, the victim dies a slow and uncomfortable death. However, with the advent of genetic engineering, couples prone to passing down Huntington's can test different embryos in order to see which one carries the gene for Huntington's, and which one does not, and therefore, produce a healthy baby, capable of living long and fruitful life. But here is where moral questions arise because some embryos are discarded. Personally, I believe that the potential to eradicate such devastating syndromes that are otherwise unpreventable, outweighs the loss of the other embryos. In a perfect world, embryos would not have to be sacrificed, but luckily, at the point when their genes are tested, they are only a conglomerate of cells, a zygote, with no resemblance to even the beginnings of a human being. So, when it comes to disease prevention and eradication, genetic modification should be pursued. However, many individuals believe that through using genetic engineering, it is okay to create the perfect child who has tall genes, smart genes, handsome genes, and so on. This is where I draw the line. If some people begin to use genetic engineering to create “perfect” children, a whole new class of individuals will emerge, leaving the class of people that cannot afford to use genetic engineering even further behind. In conclusion, genetic engineering should be further researched to prevent and eradicate otherwise incurable diseases, but when it comes to enhancing the appearance and intellect of children through modification, a line must be drawn early