Gattaca Essay

The idea of genetic engineering was once the domain of science fiction, with movies depicting armies of identical soldiers intent on taking over the world. The concept of genetic engineering is common knowledge for the majority of people today. However, the idea of this is usually associated with genetically modified food, as it has become an everyday thing in our society. While people read about the unknown hazards of genetically modified foods, they don’t tend to be overly worried that their tomatoes last an inordinately long time all thanks to genetic modification. It is very different though when humans are involved. The idea of genetically modifying is very controversial because while the human race could be improved, there would be many problems that would arise from it.

   

Throughout history, parents have waited for their children to be born, hoping for a certain gender. Mothers-to-be ate certain foods and slept certain ways, all in a misguided effort to influence the gender of their child.  This is because, in many societies around the globe, there is certain value placed on specific genders. In many societies, a higher value is placed on male children. Especially, in societies where the number of children is limited, the idea of have a male child is considered critical to the support of the family as well as the survival of the family ‘name’.

The natural balance of male to female children would be forever changed with genetic engineering. It seems like a harmless idea at first because parents are just given the opportunity to choose the gender of their child. However, in societies where a male child has higher value, the balance of children born would tip precariously with too many male children and few choosing to have the less desirable female children.

A child’s sex is not the only thing that could be controlled with genetic engineering. Parents would be able to select traits that the deem more desirable for their children. It might be eye color, or strong bones, but partners would begin the select what their ideal child would look like. This would affect natural selection, where traits that might not seem important lead to healthier and healthier children over generations.

Bringing it back to the genetically modified food, we have traded the taste among other things just for the longevity and size of the plant. If we genetically engineered humans we might end up doing the same thing. We might end up trading creativity and individuality for this perfection.