Genetic Engineering Persuasive Essay

Since the beginning of time, man has manipulated nature to benefit them in many ways. Through artificial selection, we have successfully influenced the type of plants that grew, and the type of animals that bred. What if we could do the same for humans? What if we found a way to manipulate our genes to get desirable traits, or better; cure diseases? The human body consists of about 37.2 trillion cells, which each have 23 pairs of chromosomes responsible for our genetic information; there is a lot of room for error, or in other terms, genetic mutations. These mutations may result in pain and illness, but there is hope. With the technologies and advancements we have today, we are moving closer to what is called genetic engineering; “the direct …show more content…
“I wish I could say that we understand enough about genetic diseases to cure them right now. But sadly, I can't.”^ Dr. Maggie Pierce, from Stanford University claims it herself that there will be no cure anytime soon for genetic diseases. Scientists understand that there are functional genes inside the human body that are causing these diseases and disorders, but they are not sure where they are precisely placed.^ This could result in the wrong genes being replaced instead of the mutated genes, worsening the problem.^ There is also the possibility of side effects of altering diseases, even when successful. “ Certain changes in a plant or animal could cause unpredicted allergic reactions in some people which, in its original form, did not occur. Other changes could result into the toxicity of an organism to humans or other organisms.”^ This can change an individual’s daily life , putting them in unknown danger once they step out to the world. On a larger scale, genetic engineering can affect our entire species. “...As defective genes are replaced with functional genes, then it is expected that there will be a reduction in genetic diversity and if human beings will have identical genomes, the population as a whole will be susceptible to viruses or any form of diseases.”^ We are putting ourselves in greater risk of extinction by trying to cure one disease, and possibly causing an outbreak of

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