Genes, being part of the basic building blocks of man, control all aspects of one’s life. They control how tall you are, what color your eyes are, and what diseases might afflict you in the future. Therefore, the manipulation of such genes can be a controversial topic. The controversy most likely stems from the ethical and social questions that are raised by this procedure. Jean Dausset, author of “Scientific Knowledge and Human Dignity,” and George B. Kutukdjian, author of “UNESCO and Bioethics,” both discuss the topic of genetic manipulation. Their main focus concerns the applications of genetic manipulation, the limitations and equal opportunities of genetic manipulation, and how a person’s confidential information would be regulated. To understand this basics of genetic manipulation, one must first have a little background knowledge.“Genetics is the branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of the hereditary transmission and variation of inherited characteristics. Genes are the hereditary units of chromosomes that are located inside the DNA, which determine certain characteristics of an organism” (Encarta). The scientific alteration of the structure of genetic material in a living organism is called genetic engineering. Gene therapy is the insertion of a gene or genes into cells in order to provide a new set of instructions to those cells (Encarta). Gene therapy is actually a form of gene manipulation in itself because one is trying to control, or manipulate, the structure of a gene. Gene therapy is used to correct a person’s genetic predisposition. Genetic predisposition is the identification of what diseases a person might be afflicted with in the future and how or from what a person will die (Dausset 451). The application of genetic manipulation can be seen in two areas: genetic testing and predictive medicine.Genetic testing can be ...
