▲ The image of the movie ˝Gattaca˝

 In the movie, "Gattaca", parents want genetic reconstitution to give a brighter future for their child, but they cannot decide due to ethical problems. If we are using gene-swapping publicly, we can anticipate its pros and cons. From the perspective of pros, children born with better abilities by gene-swapping can occupy an advantageous position first. Also, the development of this technology can be a ray of light for parents who are not willing to give birth to a baby because of a hereditary disease. However, it has its dark side, too. If the parents who do not try the gene-swapping because of religious doctrines and financial problems can feel guilty. Moreover, its side effects can be found after the surgery. We can see an intron in the gene which contains no genetic information but just occupies the place. However, this might bring about specific disorders when the alterations will develop in the gene. This happening is extremely hazardous because we do not know the direct results of babies. Although gene technology is getting more sophisticated and exact, we are still in a situation that unknown parts are far more than the known things.

▲ The sheep named Dolly which was cloned

 At present, because of Moore's Law, technology increases geometrically, but there are still many ethical problems exist. To progress embryonic stem cell researches, an ovum is necessary. However, it is very rare that it appears only once in a month in a woman's body. However, a woman who extracts ovum can suffer from stomachache, ovarian cancer, and even death. Then, should we extract ovum by harming health of donors? Ovum gets the potential of birthing creatures, but the reason that we destroy it because the purpose of study is clearly killing someone's life. Nowadays, science is improving and becoming more advanced, but still, we have to be careful of some developments may harm us.

November 23rd, 2019

by Kim Dae-hwan