Pugliese 1

Genetic Engineering
Are the benefits worth the risk?

Mac Pugliese

English 111, Semester 1, Class 2B

December 16, 2014

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Genetic engineering involves the altering of the genetic structure, the

directions of how an organism, such as a plant or animal, is suppose to work.
In the process of manipulating human genes Scientists have been able to
treat and prevent life threatening diseases. They have made animals more
beneficial to our society and plants able to withstand the elements better, in
turn feeding more individuals. "The Grocery Manufacturers of America
estimate that between 70-75 percent of all processed foods available in
grocery stores contain ingredients from genetically modified plants"
(ProQuest Staff 1). Many support genetic engineering claiming that it will
lead to medical breakthroughs and it will produce more food for the world's
rapidly growing population. Others say that genetic engineering should be
highly regulated if not illegal because of long term health defects and a
negative impact on the environment. There are many uses of genetic
engineering, but many question if the health risks and occasionally
accompanied poor ethics outweigh the benefits.
In the past, genetic engineering has been the simple manipulation and
movement of genomes in the DNA sequence. Recently scientists have moved
in to a whole new realm of genetic mutation, they call "Synthetic Biology" or
"Extreme Genetic Mutation. Scientists are able to create life from completely
lifeless materials. Some parts of this science bring up ethical questions and
create risks. Genetic engineering(GE), also opens doors to advancements in
areas such as the medical field.

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There are proven ways that GE crops can cause health problems. For
instance, an allergenic trait from one plant could transfer the unwanted gene
to the new hybrid plant. This occurred and was documented in 1996 when
genes from a Brazil nut were placed into soybeans ("Genetic Engineering
Risks and Impacts" 1). This was done to increase the soybeans value as feed
for farm animals because it increased the nuts protein content. An
unexpected effect happened. The soybeans took on the allergic properties of
the Brazil Nut. Causing anyone who comes in contact with the soybeans and
is allergic to Brazil nuts to have an allergic reaction as if the soybeans were
Brazil nuts.
A benefit of Genetic Engineering is the possibility to extend our ability
to attain organs for patients that need them. Synthetic biologists are
genetically engineering pigs to modify the way their organs are formed in
order to reduce the initial rejection by humans in need of donors. The
problem that some cringe at the thought of extracting organs from helpless
pigs comes up, but Robert Winston, fertility expert, states, "Pigs' organs are
the right size for human transplantation, and they work similarly to human
organs. Of course this raises a moral problem, but it is much more ethical to
use a pig to save a human life than to use it for relatively unnecessary meat
eating." (Shanks 1). The ability for one to make an decision of whether it is
right or not to use these pigs for medical advances is impossible due to the
fact that it is a moral issue that an individual person must make. On the

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other hand our society has made a clear choice by having pork as a staple in
our diet over the past centuries.
Genetically Engineered plants can potentially have harmful effects on
the environment. The most notable agricultural danger so far is herbicide
resistant plants. Millions of acres of farms have plants embedded with the
"Roundup Ready trait, invented by the Monsanto Company" ("Genetic
Engineering Impacts and Risks" 1). Plants with these traits are immune to
herbicides which are liquids used to spray unwanted vegetation to kill them.
This has accelerated the development of resistance in several weed species
due to natural cross-pollination as well. Farmers with no other option turn to
older more harmful and toxic herbicides such as 4-D and Dicamba. Just to
repeat the cycle, agricultural businesses have already begun developing
plants with traits that make them immune to even the more harmful 4-D and
Dicamba. Doing this with no guarantee that the weed evolvement crisis will
not repeat once again.
Honey bees play an extremely important role of pollination in the
growth of many fruits and vegetables. Recently there has been a decrease in
the amount of honey bees worldwide. "A large part of the problem is due to
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)" ("Honey Bee Health" 1). This is when
normally healthy hives have an oddly low population of bees. A major cause
of CCD is due to the parasitic varroa mite. Monsanto is creating a genetically
engineered toxin that will only target the varroa mite, and is harmless to the

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honey bees. This will allow the re-growth of the honey bee population and a
stable supply of fruits and vegetables.
"A genomic company in California has applied for and received a
patent to create babies with selective traits in fertility clinics. This technique
could potentially be used to not only select appearance traits but also to
create healthier babies by screening out donors that have a genetic
likelihood of disease. Babies could be created with the select genes alone or
in a combination with the recipient parent's genomes" (Naik 1). This could be
viewed as unethical because the rich could give their children the advantage
of genetic enhancement. On the contrary if parents are able to, they should
give their children the best start in life they can. There is the worry that
fertility clinics will eventually turn to a "build-a-bear" workshop of babies,
churning on the most desired and eventually similar or identical children. If
this idea does become as wide spread as it very well could, there may
eventually be the problem of mutations due to unknown incest. Spouses
could share the same genomes and have no idea because the sole donor to
their conception could be long passed before they were even born.
Friends of the Earth, an environmental advocacy group, has been
asking for stronger government regulations over genetic engineering and
synthetic biology, a form of life altering and creating genetic engineering.
"Friends of the Earth has called for a moratorium on the commercial use and
laboratory release of genetically engineered organisms" (Vastag 1). Safety in

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mind, these may be a healthy precaution to take, but this would be halting a
rapidly advancing technology. A technology that created pest-resistant crops,
bacteria that produces life-saving insulin, and other beneficial breakthroughs
in our society. The White House eventually came out with a statement
encouraging federal agencies to enhance overview and take careful
consideration of possible risks, but no new laws or regulations were released.
This is possibly due to the blurry line that is genetic engineering. With so
much varying vocabulary, and new discoveries being made each day it is
near impossible to cover every area of the subject with a government
regulation. They vary in degree of manipulation to the organism and the
procedure used in process of the gene engineering.
There are many other examples of how confusing it is for our
government to regulate genetic engineering. Atlantic Salmon that was
genetically modified to grow faster with a gene from another salmon species
has been put under the category of "new animal drugs" (Mestel 1). The
government now regulates this salmon under the "Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act of 1938". This fish is now regulated by the same people that regulate
food coloring, bottled water, and eyeliner and is considered a drug by the
United States Government. "Son, this pond is catch and release. We have to
throw back that Ibuprofen."
Genetic Engineering is evolving everyday and therefore difficult to
understand to its full degree. Every day new advancements are made to

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enhance and possibly endanger the world we live in. No one can deny that
there are risks that go along with genetic engineering, but in the same way
no individual can state that there are no benefits as well. Drawn-out, careful
government analysis of every single use of genetic engineering would render
it almost completely useless. Regulation is the way to handle this topic. Yet
similar to the topic, the answer of where to draw the line of what can and
cannot be done is ever-changing.

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Works Cited
Etc Group. Extreme Genetic Engineering: An Introduction to Synthetic Biology. Canada: ETC
Group, 2007. PDF. Etc Group, Jan. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
"Genetic Engineering Risks and Impacts." Union of Concerned Scientists. Staff, n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2014.
"Honey Bee Health." Monsanto: Improving Agriculture. Monsanto, 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
Mestel, Rosie. "Genetic Engineering Strains Old Food Laws." ProQuest. Los Angeles Times, 24
Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Naik, Gautam. "New Advance Toward 'Designer Babies'" ProQuest. New York Times, 4 Oct.
2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Piller, Dam. "Drought-Tolerant Seeds on Way." ProQuest. USA Today, 31 Aug. 2012. Web. 10
Dec. 2014.
Proquest Staff. "At Issue: Genetic Engineering." Sks.sirs.com. ProQuest, 2014. Web. 10 Dec.
2014.
Shanks, Peter. "CGS : Pigs to People." CGS : Pigs to People. BioPolitical Times, 24 Nov. 2014.
Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Vastag, Brian. "Coalition Urges Tighter Controls on 'Extreme Genetic Engineering'" ProQuest.
Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.