With technology advancing at an alarming rate and new discoveries being made every day, it’s just a matter of time before parents will have the ability to genetically alter their kids. In some cases this could save kids from having disabilities or mental illnesses. However, it can also help kids to become far more superior than they should be either mentally or physically. While genetically altering kids could help fight illness, disease, and many of societies other problems, it is only a matter of time before it will be used to make seemingly perfect kids.
Personally I am not opposed to genetically altering kids. From what I see in my everyday life, there are many things that I would like to change if given the chance. I see kids with disabilities, mental illnesses, and many other problems. If given the opportunity, and to give these kids a more fulfilling and normal life, I would have no problem with genetically altering these kids. To give a kid in a wheelchair the ability to walk or to give a mentally retarded individual the ability to live alone in normal society would be great. These are some of the things that could be done through genetically altering children.
One drawback of this is the fact that these kids are not being healed of their imperfections, they’re being born without them. Genetically altering a child to walk from birth is much different than giving him the ability after he’s never had it before. Now I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be done because of these reasons, I’m simply saying that the children won’t appreciate the process as much after not going through the bad.
Another drawback and the most dangerous part of this whole process would have to be the fact that parents will try and genetically alter their kids to be seemingly perfect when there is nothing wrong with them to begin with. This is where I am opposed to genetically altering kids and where I draw the line. Giving kids the opportunity to live a normal life from birth is a lot different than giving kids the ability to get perfect test scores and go professional in any sport they choose. It is obvious that some individuals have genes that allow their offspring to do great things. We can clearly see this in the world of professional sports. Some examples are Payton and Eli Manning. These brothers both play professional football. Also we see this in parents and their kids, for example the professional basketball player Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant and his son Kobe Bryant. Also it seems that most professional basketball players or track runners are African American. This isn’t just coincidence, this is the fact that genes play a big role in what people become. These are not things that should be messed with from birth. Parents should not be given the ability to make their children professional athletes or scholars because then this process will become nothing more than a competition to make the perfect child and nobody will have any incentive to work in life. A child who is handed everything will not have to work to get ahead in life because everything is given to him. A child who has nothing has to work to get ahead in life. If every child is born seemingly perfect there will be no incentive to do anything, technology and research will come to a standstill, professional sports will become a thing of the past because everyone will have the abilities to perform, and society will fall apart. The only way for society to work is with diversity.
Technology is at the point where the ability to genetically alter kids is not far from becoming a reality. Parents will soon be given the option of totally changing their children’s genes. I definitely agree in this if it is used for curing disease and illness, but not to make a “super child.” This is where I draw the line and where the line should be drawn for everyone else. Genetically altering children should be used for good, but not perfection.
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12 comments:
When I began to read your blog, I chuckled, allowing various images to come to mind. When you write: "it’s just a matter of time before parents will have the ability to genetically alter their kids," I have this image of kids running around the house, pausing for a genetic alteration. Probably some parents would like to have that opportunity. :)
We have made great strides in helping children and adults who have disabilities. I don't know if these advances are all due to genetic engineering. You might want to do more research on this.
You make a good point when you write about not altering the potential destiny of a child, allowing the child to be as he/she is created naturally. Of course it is a crap shoot. We have no idea at the time of conception or at birth whether or not a child will develop into a star basketball player or a great scientist. So many factors come into play once the child is born. Environment has an impact. Opportunity is another. I am wondering what we will have to do with a child's environment to insure the genetically engineered child develops as we think he/she should.
You write: "Also it seems that most professional basketball players or track runners are African American. This isn’t just coincidence, this is the fact that genes play a big role in what people become."
Good that you use the word "seems" if you do not know the exact ratio.
If you had written this statement about African-Americans and genes a few years ago, you would have been in deep trouble. At one time such comments would have been belittling. They still are in some circles because there is the implication that African-Americans can't do more than athletics. We know this is not true. We also know that very few aspiring athletes (regardless of race or ethnicity) make it to professional sports.
If you look at the professional sports teams prior to 1945, you will find that there were few or no African-Americans playing. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Chuck Cooper in basketball. Football in the early part of the 20thC accepted African-Americans, but between the 30s-40s the NFL did not allow African-Americans to play.
A book you may find interesting is Tackling Jim Crow by Alan Howard Levy.
Keep writing. Work on being more precise. Keep in mind that you do not know your reader's background, knowledge, or attitudes. If you want to convince the audience to listen to your argument, choose your words carefully and include data whenever possible.
I have to say that I agree with everything you said. How are we to know what the child may have become if we alter them from birth to become what we want. I like the part where you're talking about working for your mental and physical perfection instead of being given it. I think it's true that it's better to work for it. Great paper.
I thought you had a strong opening. You made good points throughout your paper. It was well written. Good job.
Wow! I never thought about how genetically engineering children could cause sports and competitiveness a thing of the past. This was an excellent point you made. I have a disorder that is uncurable and most likely hereditary because my mother has it, and new research of it shows that it has been linked to a certain gene in our DNA. It would be a wonderful thing to be able to have childen who could live without the disorder, it really is frustrating, and it has held me back from so much. But on the other hand it has made me so much of a stronger person. I think if no one had disabilities or diseases that everyone would take life and health for granted, and we could not truly appreciate the miracle of life.
Also, I think that if genetic engineering became available to eliminate such illnesses or problems, someone would definitely cross the line. "Rules are made to be broken", and I think that government officials or doctors who actually alter the DNA would get special access to the process for themselves and create some "super children". Just a thought. Nice work though, I enjoyed your blog.
Nice job with your essay, it proves many important points that involve genetic engineering. African Americans aren't always the best athletes though, if you look at baseball most of the players are Hispanic, just look at the New York Mets, and in hockey almost every player is white.
To "theteach"
Thank you for the comment on my paper. It's always good to get criticism on a writing so you can find out what people think and get a little help on making your future works better. Also to find out what someone that i've never even talked to thinks is a big plus. To begin i realize that there are many other factors helping to prevent dissabilities from birth or after birth, but if we developed genetic alteration this is one factor that could definitely be fixed for the better. Also you are exactly correct about environment playing a big role in what children will grow up to be. I was thinking that everyone would want their kids to be professional ateletes or Harvard graduates, but for example families from the slums or ghettos may just want a child that can get a decent job and support the family. Environment really does play a big role in a childs destiny. Finally thanks for the stats about the African American atheletes. I even learned something new from your comment. Well again thanks for your feedback and i'll take it all into consideration to improve my writings.
To "blueflame"
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed and agreed with everything I said. And I really do believe in working for your mental and physical perfection because it's more rewarding that way. No one wants to be handed everything and if they do they're just lazy and don't deserve it. Anyways, thanks for the comment.
To "cole"
Thanks. Everyone who leaves a comment mentions a different aspect of my paper so i'm glad i'm getting input on each individual part. Now I know that my opening was good. lol Thanks again for the comment and the input.
To "kashley"
Thank you for the comment. I'm glad you agree with the point I made about the competivieness of sports being eliminated through genetic alteration. Also I'm sorry to hear about your disorder, but I never even thought about the fact that some disorders or illnesses can really make a person stronger. This is a really good point and this is why I love getting input from all different kinds of people. Just another thing for me to think about so thank you.
To "birdman"
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my essay. You also make a very good point about different sports having all-star players from different ethnic backgrounds. If you read the comment from "theteach" she makes a good point about the environment playing a big role in what children develop into and that ties in nicely with your point about the different ethnicities of different sports. Children from Canada don't grow up playing soccer of basketball, they grow up playing hockey. This is like the story of the Jamaican bobsled team. The environment plays a big role so thank you for the input. It's a big help.
You write: "families from the slums or ghettos may just want a child that can get a decent job and support the family."
You make me think of my own childhood. For a while I thought I wanted to be a surgeon. I am not sure why, but I did. Finally I decided on being a teacher. I can remember my mother being a bit unhappy because it meant I probably would never be rich. Of course, becoming a doctor would not have insured any kind of wealth. Where I would have practiced medicine would have factored into making money. But to my mother, who had very little in her life, it was important that her children do something to make them rich. Of course, that did not happen. Oh she was just as proud of us in the end.
I enjoy reading your blogs, and am happy to respond. I comment as I read....just share my reactions. I call it "reader response." You provided information to make one think!!
Again, I encourage you to keep writing and always proofread and reread before hitting that "publish" key. It also is good to get responses to your initial draft. I am not a good composer. It takes me forever to write an original piece, but I can edit and revise. That's one of the reasons I like to collaborate with other writers.
Keep up the good work!!!
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