The Case Against Perfection

The case against Perfection
The legal issues concerning the use of Genetic Modification experiments on humans and the impact on individual rights and responsibilities is a progressive issue plaguing our society. Genetic Engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic structure. A two-year inquiry by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), in the Protection of Human Genetic Information in Australia.

There are two main powerful, but conflicting, social reactions in response to the rapid pace of change in genetic technology; the first of which there is a strong public support for the medical breakthroughs that promise better medical diagnosis and treatments, and to assist in law enforcement (e.g. identification). And the second conflicting argument of which anxieties on the potential for genetic discrimination as well as the increased difficulty to regulate the development of genetic science. The major challenge for the ALRC is to find a way to satisfy the needs of innovations in genetic research and to provide the community with reassurance that such innovations will be subject to ethical scrutiny as well as  

The rights and responsibilities of scientific researchers and scientists are not as clear-cut as those associated with law or medicine. Although one of the main implied rights would be that of selfless desire of understanding to the application of scientific knowledge to benefit that of society. This desire, however utilised, comes again with implied responsibilities. Responsibilities that include obtaining useful knowledge in such a manner that will not cause any distress, harm or detriment to those involved with the experimentation. The sensitivity of the issue of use of altering genetic material, has always had and will always have ethical standards that restrict the...