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If
you haven’t heard of this scientific breakthrough by now your living in
a cave! In case your home is a cozy black hole, scientists have decoded
the 3 billion chemical “letters” in human DNA. Many
see this as one of history’s greatest scientific milestones and it has
been compared to man’s landing on the moon. President
Clinton had the following to say about the discovery: “Cancer may
be only a constellation of stars for our children’s children. Today we
are learning the language of which God created life,” Clinton said.
“It will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most,
if not all, human diseases.” I
do not want to seem pessimistic by this article, because I do see the
great benefits this finding may bring about. The idea of no cancer and no
aids is a thrilling idea. But I have to be weary of genetic
discrimination. With this new finding the issues of privacy and genetic
discrimination, and other moral issues have come to the surface. How
many people have seen the movie, Gattaca (1997)? Please raise your hands.
This movie is set in the future where a couple that decides to have a
child can select its attributes and have him or her created in a lab from
their genetic strands. If you're conceived the natural way, you are
disadvantaged and deemed invalid. To work at the Gattaca Corporation (or
possibly anywhere else), you must meet certain genetic requirements. These
can quickly be tested using a stray hair, a flake of shed skin, and a drop
of urine or blood. Another one of my fears was the theme of a short story I read when I was in high school. Unfortunately I forgot the title and the author. One thing that did sick in my brain was the story’s premise. It was set sometime in the future. A large extended family lived in a grossly over crowded city and even more overcrowded apartment. Only the elders were allowed privacy and allowed to have the one bedroom for themselves. What was the reason for this overpopulation? Science had progressed so far that humans no longer died of natural causes. By Irene Moulton Go something to say to Irene |
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