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Ethical Border For Research Essay

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In the spirit of Emory's tradition of courageous inquiry, what question do you want to help answer and why? (500 word limit) Where is the Ethical Border for Research? We have been curious since the beginning. How does this work? How can I improve the gene pool? Why does this disease only affect certain people? What is the cure? These questions led to research to improve humankind as well as the large question looming over research. When is enough? Where must be stop? It began over 4000 years ago. The idea of a perfect being led people to change themselves through piercings, tattoos, and binding among other changes. Alteration varied by culture: foot binding in China, lip plugs in Ethiopia, and tooth shaping in Indonesia. However, they all had the same goal: to achieve be “perfect”. In the 20th century, modifications went even further with the …show more content…

In 1990, gene therapy allowed for a girl to no longer have a weakened immune system through manipulated cells. The new gene replaced the mutated gene, allowing her to produce ADA and therefore boost her immune system. In the past 25 years, over 2000 new therapies have been approved to “cure” leukemia and rare disorders. In the future, we may even be able to cure HIV. However, is this gene manipulation ethical? From a scientist’s view, genetic engineering may eliminate disorders and some diseases. It would prevent life-impairing disorders such as Trisomy 13 and Huntington’s, and it would cure certain cancers. But, from a social view, is it moral to change someone’s DNA? Will gene manipulation allow the rich to “build a child” with the ideal characteristics and widen the class gap? Other questions also arise. How are we to support the growing population with our limited food supply? Will everyone eventually become the perfect being and become identical, resulting in no variation? And with this lack of variation, could a single disease wipe out

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