Running head: GENETIC ENGINEERING IN HUMANS 1

Positive and Negative Effects of Genetic Engineering in Humans

Jos A. Valladares
Discovery School











GENETIC ENGINEERING IN HUMANS 2

Positive and Negative Effects of Genetic Engineering in Humans
Today, genetic engineering is revolutionizing modern science with the abilities to modify
the genetic code in animals, plants, and even in humans. Sooner or later genetic engineering is
going to become essential in daily life of people because of the so many possibilities involved in
its practice. And as well it has its advantages, it has its disadvantages, today very debated by
scientists and religious, where there are many that defend forcefully what they believed for one
extreme or the other. In a shorten way, genetic engineering can be used to improve the quality of
peoples lives but it could also be used to harm them as well.
Genetic engineering opens vast possibilities and advances in medicine. The chances for
people to live longer and healthier increase as scientists discover more about modifying the
genetic code in humans. For future researches, a lot of scientists, experts in the field of genetic
engineering, have been proposed the goal to change the human DNA. At the time this happens,
scientists would be able to create cures for deadly diseases that are incurable today, such as
cancer and AIDS. If these viruses are taken off from a human body, it can be a great achievement
because these viruses/genes will not be in the next generation of offspring. Parents would decide
special characteristics for their children before birth, such as eye color, hair color and type, skin
color, among others; or even doctors would modify a childs genes so that if any disability is
detected, it can be removed before the childs birth. Genetic engineering can also be used fight
other diseases and people could live their normal lifestyles without the menace of deadly
diseases. Today genetic engineering is used to fight diseases such as cystic fibrosis (SCID),
diabetes, and some more. The first ever gene therapies were initiated in 1990 by Dr William
French Anderson. The patient was a four-year-old girl called Ashanthi who was suffering from a
very rare disease known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). In Ashanthi's case, the
GENETIC ENGINEERING IN HUMANS 3

disease was caused by the absence of the enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA). This deficiency
prevented her body from producing the lymphocytes (B-cells and T-cells) that are required to
fight off infections. Once the treatment was withdrawn, the symptoms of SCID returned and she
requires the enzyme today. This is an example of the capabilities of genetic engineering practice
in humans.
As well as there are advantages there are disadvantages. Scientists still cannot predict
what would happen to a human with modified genes as the years pass, and they will not take the
risk of secondary effects happening to this people; not until genetic engineering is perfectly
manipulated. Also, genetic engineering has its ethics, it has borderlines with moral values,
involving religion, which questions that man has the right to manipulate and change the course of
nature. This is debated as scientists playing God. There are many people that are either in favor
or against genetic engineering, arguing that genetic engineering is an evil practice, or that it is a
godsend gift that can solve many medical problems presented in the modern world. There are
people too, that may be in a middle category; interested in the possibilities of genetic
engineering, but also worried about future effects it may have.
Genetic engineering has its positive and negative effects, today, it is just matter of time
for scientists to polish and perfect this practice, so that it can be fully tested in humans. Maybe
tomorrow or maybe in fifty years cancer could be cured, as I said before, it is just a matter of
time.