Every new technology of that magnitude is extremely dangerous. Take nuclear power for example. It has so much potential and can be used for mass destruction or mass energy production. And although regulations are so tight lots of organizations still get their hands on nuclear warheads.
Genetic engineering is not like any other new technology that has ever come along. Let me explain using your example of nuclear power.
There are ways to restrict what nuclear power can do. Low-yield nuclear weapons, for example, are not nearly as powerful as high-yield nuclear weapons are. The government can restrict the type and the strength of nuclear power that power companies and other organizations can get their hands on.
Nuclear weapons also carry with them a certain deterrant. Any organization that has a nuclear warhead knows that if it ever used one, there would be serious reprocussions (i.e. they would get blown to smitherines in retaliation). This is what kept us alive during the Cold War, the concept of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction).
Nuclear power is also still a very limited technology. There are very few people that can get access to even the smallest amount of nuclear energy.
Genetic engineering, though, has no protection like this. If you have the power to change one gene, you have the power to change them all. There is no way you can make the technology available to just change certain genes. That's what makes it so dangerous, the fact that people will not only want to change genes for certain deadly diseases, but also for hair color, eye color, strength, speed, height, weight, etc.. There's just no way to limit it.
There is also no realistic deterrant with genetic engineering. There's nothing to stop someone from going ahead and using it on their unborn child to make them "better." Granted, some people might not want to do it because they're smart and they actually realize the risks, but they eventually will be forced to go through with it if they want their children to be as "improved" as everyone else's who had the procedure done.
And unlike nuclear technology, genetic engineering is going to be very widespread, very quickly. Once this kind of thing gets out in the open, people are going to be beating down the doors to have doctors make their kids "better." That's when the chaos starts.
This isn't just some kind of machine, medical procedure, or technological development that is going to make
our lives better, this is something that affects our children. And when it comes to our children, people want what they think is best for them. And that's what will lead to the problems I have previously described.
As a matter of fact the world is not one collective mind that agrees on all sorts of issues. If for example the US would ban genetical experiments/research, scientists would go somewhere else. Countries could deliberately loosen laws on genetical engineering in order to attract foreign investors. You can't stop it.
You may be right, but I hope and pray that you're wrong. Still, we can only do our small part towards preventing the kind of tragedy that will become a reality with genetic engineering. I'm thinking we could have some kind of severe sanctions or some kind of retailiation against any country that does this kind of thing, but that's assuming the U.S. is willing to undertake an anti-genetic engineering policy in the first place.
I still maintain that we have the genes that we have for a reason. It's nature's way of assuring a balance. What happens when everyone lives to be 150 years old, for example? We already have enough problems with population as it is. And what about when everyone starts genetically engineering their children to be beautiful? What will happen to our standards of intelligence, beauty, athleticism, etc. once everyone is good at it? It may be hard to accept, but there are reasons that humans have flaws. Some people aren't intelligent, others aren't beautiful, and others aren't athletic. If everybody was good at everything, what would make us different? Just something to think about.
Nick
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