Genetic Controls

Genetic Controls

For this session’s discussion, you may CHOOSE your video AND which questions you will answer.

Option 1.

The first film is a film from the ARCC library and it 44 minutes long. It is a little more entertaining, but older.  It is called: Brave New World: Why Not Clone a Human? Ethical Challenges of Biotechnology.” If you CHOOSE to watch this film,  I’ve embedded the film in Content for this session and, I’ll provide a link here:

http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10907&psid=0&sid=0&State=&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=1092&tScript=0

Option 2.

The second option you may CHOOSE is a more recent TED Talk that specifically discusses the CRISPR technology discussed in our chapter. It is 18 minutes long, and recent, but a little less entertaining.  It is titled: “The Ethical Dilemma of Designer Babies.” Follow this link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_knoepfler_the_ethical_dilemma_of_designer_babies?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread

Instructions

After you watch one of the videos, please respond to SOME of the questions below. Please draw on the information presented in either video, AND also your course readings for this week. Use these questions as a guide. I do NOT expect you to discuss all of these questions:

Note

250 -300 words (References not included)

  1. What are some proposed benefits to manipulating genes and creating “designer” babies?
  2. What are some concerns with genetic engineering brought up in the video, and what were some of the responses proposed to these alleged challenges?
  3. Given what you learned, do you support the pursuit of genetic manipulation in the future—if it was safe? (Do other issues concern you?)
  4. What are your beliefs about human genetic engineering? Does this appear to be ethically better, worse, or the same as human cloning?
  5. Do you believe that parents should have the right, or autonomy, to choose human cloning or genetic manipulation as an option for reproduction as long as they know the risks? Consider the risks as well as the rewards.
  6. What do our authors say? Consider Savulescu’s (Procreative Beneficence: Why we should select the best children) argument. Should we try to give our children the best possible future? Why or why not?