On Tuesday, I attended the Table Talk about Genetic Engineering. The conversation mostly centered around the idea of Three Parent Babies and Pig Organ Donors. This is a commonly discussed topic lately, due to the rise in the use of these technologies with human applications. Most of the criticism around using this technology leads to ethical questions about how this relatively expensive technology can adversely affect our societal structure and how much should we be able to change the DNA of humans or any animals in general. For example, if people were able to fix the DNA of their children for a fee to prevent any diseases, most people would to ensure their child doesn’t have any unnecessary problems. But because it is a potentially expensive procedure, the lower income families may not be able to afford it and it could lead to a positive feedback loop, where employers would prefer those who went through the procedure because they would be unlikely to get sick or they could have a higher IQ, or whatever else they can change. Then those without the procedure may be forced into the lower paying jobs and that cycle can continue on. The other main ethical concern is with the concept of how much should we be changing our DNA or those of the plants and animals around us? Currently, they have been altering the DNA of pigs to remove genes to make them less susceptible to the animal diseases, allowing for future applications of growing them with human compatible organs for transplants.

Before this talk, I already knew about some Genetic Engineering applications like the ones discussed were happening. I had also read some interesting books, such as “Brave New World” that introduced concepts of how these technologies could affect society. The way I felt about these applications of genetic engineering mirrored what I had felt before. I think it is a great resource to help people and cure terminal illnesses, but it depends on the guidelines they have to adhere and who controls the technology. If guidelines remain lax, there is a lot that could potentially go wrong with who they test this on or how far they take it. Such as, potentially making clones for humans, whose organs they can harvest, should the ‘original’ human need it. Additionally, those who control it have a lot of say in how it affects our society. If it were a not-for-profit group then I hope that they would standardize it so everyone can gain access to it. But a for-profit group may be more interested in income and may make it an elite thing. This could lead to a large gap in the low income and the higher income citizens. Additionally, genetic engineering could also be very helpful to humans. Not only in the way of removing diseases, but it could give us the ability to adapt to different climates or maybe even other planets within a far shorter timeline. Of course, this is far off, as we would first have to determine how different genes interact with others before we could go in and change DNA and we would have to have the technology to aid us in this feat.  Genetic engineering is a fascinating field and it will be interesting to see where it takes us in the future.