How Ethical Are Biogenetics? Where Should We Draw the Line?

Biogenetics is a scary and confusing concept. With new scientific technologies we are now able to create things that were once only seen in exotic movies. But should we really allow our society to have the freedom of "playing God"? This is difficult to conceive. As Jeff Lyon stated in "Playing God: Has Science Gone Too Far?", "It seems it may not be long before the ultimate line is crossed". There are many benefits to having the technology of cloning, as pointed out by Ruth Macklin in her essay "Human Cloning? Don't Just Say No". However, the possibilities of what could happen if the general public were to obtain this knowledge are frightening.

Where would we draw the line? Not everyone in our world has the same ethics or agrees with the same basic ideas in life. What might be acceptable with cloning to one person, could greatly offend others. It is difficult to imagine everyone agreeing and obeying certain limits regarding cloning. As much as we would like to assume that the privilege of this new extensive knowledge would not be abused, there is always at least one person willing to stretch the limits. Some might even say there need not be any limits at all. However, if given the liberty to "play" with genetics, there is bound to be trouble.

People were not meant to have the power to create and totally transform themselves. We were all created differently for some purpose. If cloning were to become widespread, there would be a larger thirst for perfection. And once this thirst was quenched, we would be left with the "perfect", "utopian" society; one in which all people are exactly the same. Also, since the quest for a longer life span still continues, people will feel the urge to play with their fates. Although genetics could do wonders for modern medicine, it is much safer to let nature run its course alone.

The power to work with genetics should only be given to a few, select people. There are expert scientists who are currently researching genetics. These scientists should be allowed to only take their experiments to a certain level. It will take a lot of work and time to determine the standards for what can and cannot be genetically modified, but our society is at the point in which this must be done soon. If not, we risk the chance of ruining the world as we know it. Research with genetics may allow us to obtain important information, but there must be restrictions on how far we will take it.