Sara Maltempi, Grade 12

Genetic engineering is a term that sounds alarming to many, as using technology to manipulate an organism’s genetic material is a concept that brings the warnings of various science fiction works to mind. However, genetic engineering is not all about creating monsters and giving humans more desirable traits. It is used today for benefits such as reducing the need for pesticides, increasing crop yields, making foods more nutritious, giving crops resistance to certain diseases, and allowing microorganisms to produce biological necessities such as human growth hormone and human insulin for people who lack them (1,2). Its potential benefits are virtually endless with solutions to many agricultural and medical problems lying in its applications. Despite the benefits, genetic engineering should be approached with caution as well-intentioned uses can create serious ethical issues. Ethical concerns ranging from violating religious beliefs to intensifying discrimination have been and will continue to be debated by experts and laymen alike as gene editing technology advances.
Genetic engineering is commonly discussed today when dealing with foods. Much of the general public tends to believe that GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, can be harmful. According to a study done in 2015, even though 88% of scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science believed foods containing ingredients from genetically engineered crops were safe for human consumption, only 37% of American consumers considered them safe (3). The distrust towards GMOs that is felt by much of the public may stem from misinformation or a lack of trust in institutions. However, even if everyone considered genetically modified ingredients to be completely safe, many would still refrain from consuming them because of religious beliefs. A common concern is that genetic engineering crosses a line by allowing humans to “play God,” with many believing that manipulating plant and animal genetics is unethical (1). However, most religions also contain the belief that humans are meant to use their scientific knowledge to make life better for other humans (4). This belief can outweigh the moral opposition to tampering with nature when points about how genetically engineering foods can make people healthier and reduce world hunger are brought up (3). In addition to the question of whether interfering with nature is ethical, another concern is the introduction of material from foods that are avoided for religious reasons into foods that would usually be okay for observers. In both cases, clear labels on food products containing GMOs and safeguards that prevent the mixing of genetically modified and non-genetically modified food products are very important to implement so people who feel strongly against genetic modifications in foods can make their own choices and not violate their beliefs (1). This becomes its own ethical issue as it is difficult to set proper labeling regulations, and not having proper labels can take away a customer’s right to choose whether they consume products containing GMOs. Another application of genetic engineering that brings up the concern of people not being properly informed before making choices is genetic engineering in humans.
Potential uses of genetic engineering in humans include preventing children from inheriting a genetic disease that both parents are homozygous for, stopping polygenic disorders from being passed down, and curing genetic diseases (5). However, like with genetic engineering in foods, these benefits come with ethical concerns. One concern is that removing genetic disorders that cause disabilities implies that people with disabilities are not acceptable the way they are (2). With this, an initiative that is meant to reduce discrimination and suffering in society could actually increase it by reinforcing the false and discriminatory belief that people with disabilities need to be “fixed.” Another issue that may arise has to do with informed consent. When it comes to genetically modifying embryos, some believe that it is impossible to obtain informed consent because the people who are impacted by the procedures are the embryo and future generations, who of course cannot give consent (5). Similarly, it can be considered impossible to obtain informed consent from prospective parents because the risks of editing embryos are unknown (5). If such genetic editing of embryos for therapeutic purposes was allowed, another concern is that this would lead some to start using germline therapy for enhancement purposes.
The use of genetic engineering for human enhancement creates the possibility for a multitude of unethical scenarios. One concern is that using genetic engineering for enhancement will increase inequality and classism, as genetic enhancements will likely only be available to the wealthy. Wealthy parents would be able to enhance traits such as intelligence and physical attractiveness in their children, and since these are traits that tend to lead to future success, these enhancements would increase income inequality and cause people who cannot afford enhancements to be looked down upon (6). Another hypothetical that could become a reality with human enhancement is genetically engineered people suffering from obsolescence. Since trends come and go, parents may give their children whatever genetic modification is popular that year, but then that same genetic enhancement will be considered out of style within a few years (2). These children will then have to live with an obsolete enhancement and newer generations will continually be considered superior to older generations, causing the older generations to feel outdated for their whole lives and increasingly resent younger enhanced people.
Although genetic engineering has the capacity to have an incredibly positive impact with benefits including but certainly not limited to improvement of food security, elevation of food quality, and eradication of detrimental genetic disorders, there are many ethical concerns that must be taken seriously as the field rapidly develops. The creation of laws and regulations to limit ethical violations can be one solution to the many issues that may arise, and there is already legislation in place and in the process of passing to help keep the current uses of genetic engineering in line. However, laws cannot prevent all negative effects, especially social effects, and this must be kept in mind as gene editing technologies advance.

Citations
[1] T. Phillips, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Transgenic Crops and Recombinant DNA Technology. Nature Education 1, 213 (2008)
[2] Center for Health Ethics, Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering. University of Missouri School of Medicine, (n.d.)
[3] K. Stofer, et al., U.S. adult viewers of information treatments express overall positive views but some concerns about gene editing technology. Journal of Science Communication 22, 04 (2023)
[4] The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, Views on Genetic Modification of Food Influenced by Religious Beliefs, Not Just Science. The Pew Charitable Trusts, (2001)
[5] National Human Genome Research Institute, What are the Ethical Concerns of Genome Editing?. National Institutes of Health, (2017)
[6] E. Sherman, Genetic Engineering Will Make Income Inequality Much Worse. Forbes (2017)