one strike against genetic engineering
today in class we watched a seemingly innocent film, Gattica. it was
about the future of society, genetics, genetic engineering and
discrimination. when it is all said and done, it was a horror film, for
me. see, it was about how stemcells are selected to ensure that only
the *best* genes are passed on to future generations. it also when on
to show children without the "perfect" genetic qualities as being given
the worst jobs, education is what they make for themselves, and since
it is their genes that prevent them from moving up in the world, the
only way for the "imperfects" was to change their genes to become
"perfect". but getting back to the idea of selecting the best
combination of genes to make the most perfect children possible is
.............. so anxiety provoking that i can't think of the best word
to use. if people selected the embryos they bore into children by the perfectness of their stemcells, i would never know sheila!!!! and worse, i would not only not know her, i wouldn't even know of
her. the fact that sheila, a major portio of who i am, would be
non-existant is making me highly anxious. logically, i know that i have
no reason to fret, sheila is alive and well (in fact knowledge of
genetics is keeping her alive), but that is now. what could happen in a
few years? in a few years, people could be discriminated against by their genes. wonderful people, like sheila, could potentially not exist because they have a genetic defect.
i am pro-research for researches sake. i think that people have a right to know as much about the world around them as they can discover, parce, or infer. on the other hand, Gattica is really rocking my foundations because i now see that a future "me" could not be aware of a future "sheila". and i want to do everything possible to prevent a future me not knowing a future sheila. but i still want people to do research, because i believe in the pure form of knowledge. knowledge for knowledge's sake.
ok here's this puzzle: sheila is alive today because of research with human growth hormone. that is genetic research. many more things to keep my special sister alive could potentially come out of this research. in the future, though, sheila would not be alive because of genetic research. i'm running in circles, trying to figure out where i stand on this issue, and i can't pick a bloody side because either side i pick kills my sister!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, so it really doesn't kill her, especially since i am not incharge of any company that does genetic engineering. but last i knew, my other sister wanted to go into that field. granted, she is 13, but she could easily join that force if she wanted to, she's very smart.
but i am diverting myself, my point is, that film made me aware that the research that is keeping sheila alive right now, could, in the future, prevent her from being conceived. how the hey am i going to resolve this without giving up any of my principles?!?!?!?!?!?!? i have many friends who are agaisnt genetic engineering, and i respect that. but because that research is keeping sheila alive, i don't feel that i can join them. of course, after that video, how can i not? here's a nice selfish statement, "do any research necessary to keep sheila alive, but not enough to prevent her from being conceived." which is highly one-sided and self-serving. it's not a firm stand on the issue. if someone were to ask me what my views on genetic engineering were, i would have to be a wishy-washy, flip-flopping, fence-sitter. willing to change my opinion at the slightest provocation. good thing i am not a polititian.
and if i go into dream analysis psychology mode, thinking about this issue when i go to sleep should prove some interesting results. if there is, i am going to have to pull a freud and analyze my own dream.
ok, well, i think that i calmed down enough to write the reflection that i am supposed to write on the film. i was just getting a little hysterical while thinking of that movie and all the implications. but it does raise the good question of "what is right?" see, without modern medicine to correct her heart, sheila would not have lived her first year out. so, i like modern medicine and research. it's my friend because it saved and is still saving my sister's life. but what will all this research mean for the future of our race?
i think that this will take me a while to resolve, if i ever do. i do think that if in a few years, colleen really wants to go into genetic research, i need to show her that film, and see what it does to her psychie. there has to be a solution, and someone in the field would be in a better position than someone outside it to determine the future and fate of genetic engineering.
i think that as long as i remember that whatever i side i choose for this issue will not kill sheila, i will be ok, but the thought is still a little anxiety provoking.
i am pro-research for researches sake. i think that people have a right to know as much about the world around them as they can discover, parce, or infer. on the other hand, Gattica is really rocking my foundations because i now see that a future "me" could not be aware of a future "sheila". and i want to do everything possible to prevent a future me not knowing a future sheila. but i still want people to do research, because i believe in the pure form of knowledge. knowledge for knowledge's sake.
ok here's this puzzle: sheila is alive today because of research with human growth hormone. that is genetic research. many more things to keep my special sister alive could potentially come out of this research. in the future, though, sheila would not be alive because of genetic research. i'm running in circles, trying to figure out where i stand on this issue, and i can't pick a bloody side because either side i pick kills my sister!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, so it really doesn't kill her, especially since i am not incharge of any company that does genetic engineering. but last i knew, my other sister wanted to go into that field. granted, she is 13, but she could easily join that force if she wanted to, she's very smart.
but i am diverting myself, my point is, that film made me aware that the research that is keeping sheila alive right now, could, in the future, prevent her from being conceived. how the hey am i going to resolve this without giving up any of my principles?!?!?!?!?!?!? i have many friends who are agaisnt genetic engineering, and i respect that. but because that research is keeping sheila alive, i don't feel that i can join them. of course, after that video, how can i not? here's a nice selfish statement, "do any research necessary to keep sheila alive, but not enough to prevent her from being conceived." which is highly one-sided and self-serving. it's not a firm stand on the issue. if someone were to ask me what my views on genetic engineering were, i would have to be a wishy-washy, flip-flopping, fence-sitter. willing to change my opinion at the slightest provocation. good thing i am not a polititian.
and if i go into dream analysis psychology mode, thinking about this issue when i go to sleep should prove some interesting results. if there is, i am going to have to pull a freud and analyze my own dream.
ok, well, i think that i calmed down enough to write the reflection that i am supposed to write on the film. i was just getting a little hysterical while thinking of that movie and all the implications. but it does raise the good question of "what is right?" see, without modern medicine to correct her heart, sheila would not have lived her first year out. so, i like modern medicine and research. it's my friend because it saved and is still saving my sister's life. but what will all this research mean for the future of our race?
i think that this will take me a while to resolve, if i ever do. i do think that if in a few years, colleen really wants to go into genetic research, i need to show her that film, and see what it does to her psychie. there has to be a solution, and someone in the field would be in a better position than someone outside it to determine the future and fate of genetic engineering.
i think that as long as i remember that whatever i side i choose for this issue will not kill sheila, i will be ok, but the thought is still a little anxiety provoking.