Shades of grey (GM and cloning)

Member Name: kca101

Product:	GM and cloning
Date:	11/10/00 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Potential to improve health and stop poverty

Disadvantages: Massive dangers

When I was younger I saw everything in black and white – war was bad, love was good. But more and more, I realise that everything is a shade of grey.

In the Second World War if England had simply rolled over (like many well-meaning pacifists wanted) the world would be a much different place now. War (a bad thing), was necessary to establish peace (a good thing).

Similarly, how many times have we read about lovers who commit suicide (a bad thing) because of their love (a good thing).

Shades of grey ...

I work for a company that was heavily involved in the Human Genome project, but at the same time I buy organic food. A contradiction? Not to me. I do not believe it has been proved that GM food is safe, and I am particularly worried about cross-infection with other crops.

I always remember reading a story when I was younger about a time traveller who went back to prehistoric times and captured a butterfly. When he returned to his own time the human race had never developed, and the world was inhabited by large insects. The point is that small changes have a huge effect, and there is no way of knowing what that effect will be. Believe it or not, humans do not have all the answers. In fact, all we do have is a collection of guesses and many of them will be proven wrong.

In time, I believe that GM food will have a place in our society, but only in places where it is difficult to grow normal crops – like in the third world.

Genetics and Genomics are a slightly different kettle of fish. Consider the following:

1. A little boy diagnosed with cancer at an early stage. The doctors say he only has a year to live and that year will be spent in chemotherapy. A pharmaceutical company approaches the parents and has a new drug that has a 75% chance of repairing the little boy’s gene. What do you do?

2. A man has a debilitating, hereditary disease and is desperate not
to pass it onto his prospective children. A pharmaceutical company is able to give treatment that will ensure the condition is not passed on. Should we stop the man doing this?

I agree that there are massive problems like growing clones and human spare-parts, and much needs to be done to prevent this. However, the genie is not going to go back in the bottle – Genetic Engineering is here to stay. I only hope that the governments of the world get their act together soon and lay down watertight guidelines.

If so, Genetics could actually end up being a good thing.

Summary: