Abstract
Advances in gene manipulation have given rise to practical applications in myriad fields
including agriculture, medicine, and research. Sentinel plants are able to fluoresce when they
need water, and spinal cord injuries are able to be healed in mouse models using manipulated
stem cells. All of these technologies have come to the point where they are being heavily
scrutinized by bioethicists and the general public. In some cases, such as human cloning,
legislation was swiftly enacted in order to prevent the technology from being put into practice.
In other arenas, such as genetically modifying food crops and embryonic stem cells, the debate is
currently being fought. There are well-funded lobbyists and salient points on both sides;
however the criticisms of these technologies are far overshadowed by the benefits they can
provide. Genetically modified organisms can be manipulated so that they provide all the
nutrients people in developing nations need. Stem cell technologies use IVF fetuses that will be
destroyed, and can possibly cure Parkinson’s and diabetes, saving millions from the fate of
vanishing cognition, vision loss, and amputation. As the criticisms are examined, it will become
clear that they are often grounded in appeals to emotion and other logically fallacies.
, There is much public debate about the use of genetic manipulation, but when time is
taken to research GMOs, cloning, and adaptive stem cell technologies, it is obvious that these
activities greatly benefit mankind. Some people feel that scientists are “playing God,” and other
people worry that foods and animals produced using such technologies are unsafe. Still others
grapple with the ethics of financial gain or the seeking of patents for living things. Finally, it is
of great concern that these technologies will be used to tamper with the human organism, which
is often seen by many to be distinct and superior to the other kingdoms of life. However, we will
see that these technologies allow us to develop medications, reduce the cost and number of
animals used for laboratory experiments, and feed developing nations through the development
of more nutritious strains of food crops. The safety and efficacy of these plants and animals is
such that it would be more unethical not to use them.
Jumba defines GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, as “an organism whose genetic
make-up has been deliberately altered” (2010, p. 1). It also includes various technological
approaches that can be used to realize these goals, including recombinant DNA technology,
genetic engineering, and genetic modification. A clone can be defined as a genetic replica of the
original cell, tissue line, individual, or animal (Simon et al., 2010). Finally, stem cell lines are
proliferated cells that are pluripotent in nature, and can take on specialization depending on
where they migrate to in the body (find source for final submission). These technologies in the
minds of the public have legal, ethical, and religious dimensions, and few do not have strong
feelings about their use.
GMOs
GMOs, as defined above, have many practical applications. One of these applications is
in the field of agriculture, where plants are genetically manipulated in order to withstand greater
applications of pesticides, increase their nutritional value, and even phosphoresce if they need to
, be watered (thanks to jellyfish genes) (Zimmer, 2005). These “sentinel” plants are not meant for
human consumption; rather they are planted at regular intervals around food beds in order to
alert farmers that their crops need to be watered. Because they are not being eaten, there is no
need to worry about consuming GMOs for those who worry about doing so (as the research
shows, unnecessarily). These florescent genes can also be used as biomarkers in animal
research, and has been developed to include gold, blue, citrine, cyan, and yellow in addition to
green.
Another application of GMOs is to reduce diversity in laboratory animals (Cibelli et al.,
2014). With less genetic diversity, confounding factors related to heredity are eliminated.
Interestingly, the use of clones can eliminate the study pool of animals, since heterogeneous
animals can cause a coefficient greater than .90. Cibelli et al. note that a study pool can be
reduced to N2, down from a study pool of forty, and of course animal welfare advocates will
appreciate this fact as well. The maintenance of study animals costs researches $3,000-$6,000
per animal annually, so this technology will also help to expand research by lowering overhead.
Especially in the research areas of disease prevention and cure this technology will represent a
great humanistic achievement.
GMOs are also used to engineer plants that are better able to withstand pesticide
application with the goal of increasing yield; however they can also be manipulated in order to
innately increase resistance to viruses, bacteria, and insects (Velander et al., 1997). Plants have
been manipulated to produce healthier oils, and hormones created by bacteria have been used to
increase milk production in cows (Jumba, 2010).
Medical Interventions
There are different ways that GMOs can be used to assist with providing healthcare.
Animals that produce needed proteins can be transported to areas of the globe where
Advances in gene manipulation have given rise to practical applications in myriad fields
including agriculture, medicine, and research. Sentinel plants are able to fluoresce when they
need water, and spinal cord injuries are able to be healed in mouse models using manipulated
stem cells. All of these technologies have come to the point where they are being heavily
scrutinized by bioethicists and the general public. In some cases, such as human cloning,
legislation was swiftly enacted in order to prevent the technology from being put into practice.
In other arenas, such as genetically modifying food crops and embryonic stem cells, the debate is
currently being fought. There are well-funded lobbyists and salient points on both sides;
however the criticisms of these technologies are far overshadowed by the benefits they can
provide. Genetically modified organisms can be manipulated so that they provide all the
nutrients people in developing nations need. Stem cell technologies use IVF fetuses that will be
destroyed, and can possibly cure Parkinson’s and diabetes, saving millions from the fate of
vanishing cognition, vision loss, and amputation. As the criticisms are examined, it will become
clear that they are often grounded in appeals to emotion and other logically fallacies.
, There is much public debate about the use of genetic manipulation, but when time is
taken to research GMOs, cloning, and adaptive stem cell technologies, it is obvious that these
activities greatly benefit mankind. Some people feel that scientists are “playing God,” and other
people worry that foods and animals produced using such technologies are unsafe. Still others
grapple with the ethics of financial gain or the seeking of patents for living things. Finally, it is
of great concern that these technologies will be used to tamper with the human organism, which
is often seen by many to be distinct and superior to the other kingdoms of life. However, we will
see that these technologies allow us to develop medications, reduce the cost and number of
animals used for laboratory experiments, and feed developing nations through the development
of more nutritious strains of food crops. The safety and efficacy of these plants and animals is
such that it would be more unethical not to use them.
Jumba defines GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, as “an organism whose genetic
make-up has been deliberately altered” (2010, p. 1). It also includes various technological
approaches that can be used to realize these goals, including recombinant DNA technology,
genetic engineering, and genetic modification. A clone can be defined as a genetic replica of the
original cell, tissue line, individual, or animal (Simon et al., 2010). Finally, stem cell lines are
proliferated cells that are pluripotent in nature, and can take on specialization depending on
where they migrate to in the body (find source for final submission). These technologies in the
minds of the public have legal, ethical, and religious dimensions, and few do not have strong
feelings about their use.
GMOs
GMOs, as defined above, have many practical applications. One of these applications is
in the field of agriculture, where plants are genetically manipulated in order to withstand greater
applications of pesticides, increase their nutritional value, and even phosphoresce if they need to
, be watered (thanks to jellyfish genes) (Zimmer, 2005). These “sentinel” plants are not meant for
human consumption; rather they are planted at regular intervals around food beds in order to
alert farmers that their crops need to be watered. Because they are not being eaten, there is no
need to worry about consuming GMOs for those who worry about doing so (as the research
shows, unnecessarily). These florescent genes can also be used as biomarkers in animal
research, and has been developed to include gold, blue, citrine, cyan, and yellow in addition to
green.
Another application of GMOs is to reduce diversity in laboratory animals (Cibelli et al.,
2014). With less genetic diversity, confounding factors related to heredity are eliminated.
Interestingly, the use of clones can eliminate the study pool of animals, since heterogeneous
animals can cause a coefficient greater than .90. Cibelli et al. note that a study pool can be
reduced to N2, down from a study pool of forty, and of course animal welfare advocates will
appreciate this fact as well. The maintenance of study animals costs researches $3,000-$6,000
per animal annually, so this technology will also help to expand research by lowering overhead.
Especially in the research areas of disease prevention and cure this technology will represent a
great humanistic achievement.
GMOs are also used to engineer plants that are better able to withstand pesticide
application with the goal of increasing yield; however they can also be manipulated in order to
innately increase resistance to viruses, bacteria, and insects (Velander et al., 1997). Plants have
been manipulated to produce healthier oils, and hormones created by bacteria have been used to
increase milk production in cows (Jumba, 2010).
Medical Interventions
There are different ways that GMOs can be used to assist with providing healthcare.
Animals that produce needed proteins can be transported to areas of the globe where
