Many advances in genetic engineering, primarily thanks to the federally backed H

Question

Many advances in genetic engineering, primarily thanks to the federally backed Human Genome Project, are allowing human beings to affect their natural skills and abilities.While the most obvious and practical use of genetic information is its application to genetic disorders, other uses and abuses of genetic technology are present.  For example, the marketing of genes by young women who are donating their eggs to infertile couples and/or brokers.According to the CDC's 2013 report (Centers for Disease Control), there are approximately 467 clinics in the United States and in the same year 1.5% of all infants born in the U.S were conceived using ART (Assisted Reproductive technology).  In these clinics, a young woman can donate eggs from her ovum and receive compensations between$5,000 and $10,000.  While compensations above $10,000are generally considered unethical, young women who have attended Ivy League schools are especially sought after because of the strength of their genetic heritage and may receive as much as $50,000 from prospective parents and brokers.

Genetic information, knowledge and practice will not regress. The world is going to move forward with many applications of such knowledge. Given this, discuss the moral and ethical implications of the current and future uses of genetic databases. What are the advantages of such databases? What are the disadvantages? In your research/literature based opinion, how should/could the databases be managed in order to maintain ethically sound conditions?

At least one cited reference

Explanation / Answer

Genetic engineering has brought about several advances to human development society, affecting their natural skills and abilities. Though it could be very useful such as that for the treatment of genetic disorders, there are also some moral and ethical implications, taking from the perspective of US healthcares. There was a time in the US when questions were raised about the deprivation of a woman's reproductive rights. This was raised because of the fact that in those times, the women criminals who were supposed to be behind bars for child abuse, were given a choice whether they would want to serve this jail time or, an option was given, they could use Norplant which is used to prevent pregnancy. Ethical issues were also raised about the noninvasive prenatal testing. These tests raised concerns, firstly to the behavioural genetics as they are not specific and secondly, it is difficult to conduct prenatal testing on a short span of time with full informed consent.There were several cases that people who were sick or mentally ill had to be sterilised even if it was against their wish. Concerns about Optogenetics were also voiced as they feared that the human brain could be manipulated.

Advantages of genetic databses
1. The genetic information collected from a crime scene and stored at database can be very much helpful to fight a crime and obtain justice and truth, thus providing more certainty against the defendant.
2. DNA database would also help in the identification of unidentified remains.
3.It is also usefuly for identification of the so called "International criminals" who commit crimes in not just one country but in others as well.
4.If a match is made, police can also identify a suspect in a short span of time and thus would help save time for the police and at the same time, solving crimes faster.

Disadvantages of genetic databases
1. No doubt, it has privacy threats, revealing the ethnicity or their susceptibility to diseases.
2. There is a high possibility of data abuse and the possibility of hacking where this information could be used for different purposes..
3. There is also a possibility about false matches and would result to the arrest of innocent ones.
4. Corrupt police officials could also pass the information to unauthorised people.

In order to maintain an ethically sound condition, genetic collection and storage can be done in a manner that does not disturb or affect the prvacy rights of a person. Professionalism in their work would enable them to use the data carefully without manipulation and to be careful as to where the information is passed. Also, if the evidence is no longer needed, then it should be destroyed.

Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371728/

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