Sahil Randhawa

Period: 4

Genetic Engineering
Science has grown dramatically over the last few decades and now we can do actions
which might have been seen upon as witchcraft back then. We ask ourselves, is this necessarily
positive for the environment ? One field in science which has grown is genetics. Scientists can
now modify the genes of plants, animals , and even humans. This is called Genetic Engineering,
and people wonder if it is ethical or not. In my opinion the progress made in Genetic Engineering
is not worth the price, in this essay we will learn why.

Companies lately have been manufacturing many foods made with GMO fruits,
vegetables , and other products that might not be safe to eat. GMO stands for Genetically
Modified Organisms.The first genetically modified food went on sale in 1994. It was a variety
of tomato called Flavr Savr. The gene that makes the tomato soften had been changed to make it
ripen more slowly, so that it would develop more flavor. Manufacturers started using GMOS to
make the food last longer and to make more food because of the populations rapid growth.
According to the article GMO Thought Experiment: What Would A World Without GM Crops
Look Like? it states that ...The new GMO-free Cheerios have much lower levels of Vitamin B2
-- 2 percent of the recommended daily value in a serving , compared to 25 percent in the GMO
formulation. And the non-GMO Grape-Nuts no longer include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin
B12 or riboflavin .General Mills announced it was removing GM ingredients from original
Cheerios and Post Foods said it would do the same from Grape Nuts. Crop scientist Wayne

Parrott pointed out that the new GMO-free Cheerios and Grape Nuts have much lower levels of
Vitamins. Even with this information available people are still nervous about consuming any
GMO or GE (genetically engineered) foods. Several reasons why are that they have the potential
to cause a variety of health problems. They may produce new allergens or toxins, and spread
harmful traits to other non-GMO crops. One major environmental impact of genetic engineering
has already reached critical proportions .Overuse of herbicide-tolerant GE crops has spurred an
increase in herbicide use and an epidemic of herbicide-resistant which will lead to even more
herbicide use.Scientists are worried that the spread of transgenes through cross-pollination could
lead to a reduction in genetic diversity in important crops. The long term effects of GMOs are
unknown but if GMOs have a negative effect in the world, once they are released into the
environment they cant be recalled back.

Genetic Engineering (GE) also has advanced as far as to engineer humans genetics. In
the future of GE, scientists can save many lives by modifying an unborn childs genes to get rid
disease and disorders which would have otherwise been harmful to the child. In the article
Genetically Engineered Babies?Experts Debate Idea Of Designer Baby(by Wayne Parry) Ban it
states Humans have already genetically modified animals and crops, said Sheldon Krimsky,a
philosopher at Tufts University, who argued in favor of a ban on the same for human babies. But
in the hundreds of thousands of trials that failed, we simply discarded the results of the unwanted
crop or animal. Sheldon Krimsky stated that with crops and animal of the failed trials were just
thrown away but if a human was tested on and it failed what would they do with the failed test
subject. According to Krimsky it would not be ethical and scientists should not test on humans.
Another problem is that we do not know what would be the consequences of manipulating

genes.

According to the article Genetically Engineered Babies?Experts Debate Idea Of

Designer Baby(by Wayne Parry) Ban it states that a small amount of DNA is contained in the
mitochondria and this mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to child.In rare cases,
women have mitochondrial defects that they can pass on to their children causing problems or
even death. A transfer can replace the defective DNA coming from a donor allowing mother to
avoid passing defects to their children. Opponents of a ban on GE said it would prevent women
with mitochondrial defects of having healthy children

Genetic Engineering

is a very controversial topic because of people and scientists

questioning if it is ethical or not. My opinion on the subject is that genetic engineering is not
worth the progress because of the unknown. We as a species do not know enough about it and if
its effect on the world is positive or negative. Maybe in a few years or decades we will have
learned more about it, but right now we do not know its impact on the environment so it is not
worth the progress.

Work Cited
"Genetic Engineering." Genetic Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
"24 X 7." GENETIC ENGINEERING. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

 "Genetic Engineering CONCERNS WITH GMOS: WHAT IS THE

SCIENCE?"Genetic Engineering CONCERNS WITH GMOS: WHAT IS THE SCIENCE?
N.p., n.d. Web. 24 M Parry, By Wynne.
"Designing Life: Should Babies Be Genetically Engineered?" LiveScience. Tech
Media Network, 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Palmer, Roxanne. "GMO Thought Experiment: What Would A World Without
GM Crops Look Like?" International Business Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.