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Movie and Real Life

Submitted by thanhtran on 9 December, 2005 - 9:33pm. Med-Tech Blog

This entry is in relation to Science Makes Sex Obsolete and will fulfill my 500 word entry for this week.

Have you ever watched Gattaca? The movie takes place in the future where parents have the option of selecting preferred genetic traits in their children. Society is split into two types of people: the genetically engineered, and the natural born. The problem is that the genetically engineered people have a superior place in society, and the natural born are devalued. The main character in the movie has vast capabilities, but he’s disregarded because he was considered physically weak, and expected to die at an early age. Yet, he goes against all odds, and overcomes society’s predestination for him. Although Gattaca is a movie, it reveals some truth that may be possible in the future.

The article addresses some good points about genetic engineering where bad traits such as disease are weeded out. I think taking a preventive approach to curing disease is the best way to stop something harmful from occurring. But regarding genetic material, there seems to be a thin line between preventive and manipulative genetic outcomes. I do not oppose preventing disease or physical dysfunctions, I am concerned about how this option may disturb a "designed" child's natural growth. Parents will be very tempted to give what they perceive is the best future for their offspring. Making a baby could be like suping a vehicle. As long as your have the basic components, you can add, enhance, and remove the parts to please your taste. All parents want the best for their children, but they might confuse their children’s interest with their own interest.

We must not forget that how a child develops is both a process of Nature and Nurture. Just because the genetics have been modified, doesn’t mean the child will be perfect. Perhaps even modifying the genetics will interfere with how the child will be nurtured because there is an expectation that the child will be perfect. This may inadvertently cause parents to become more careless. This may also have a psychological effect on the child, because he/she may perceive himself as being perfect. In Gattaca, one of the supporting characters was genetically engineered to be a perfect specimen. Growing up “perfect” had a deep impact on his expectations and perception of himself. Throughout the movie, you wonder why he is disturbed. It isn't until the end that you realize he became mentally unstable after he won second place in a swimming competition instead of first.

I’ve made quite a few references to a fictional movie, but I can’t help but see that it could become a reality. We must remember too not take good intentions too far and mutating it into something else. There are physical, social, and psychological risks in genetic engineering.

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Nature and Nurture

Submitted by Jenny Jiang on 12 December, 2005 - 5:51pm.

Dr. Rubenstein, you’re absolutely right. Society has become so caught in the glory and hype of science that many have forgotten the process of nature and nurture. I recently read a beautifully written short story called “Little C” by American philosopher Martha Nussbaum that dealt with this issue. I can’t find a copy of the story online but the plot is basically about a woman who loses her lover and her friends give her a baby clone of him to raise as her child. The woman was filled with enthusiasm at first, hoping that one day the child will love her the way that her lover once did. At the end however, the woman realizes that “each story has its own ending, and no person is exactly like any other.” There are simply things in this world that even science cannot control and the destiny of humanity is just of them.

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Agree

Submitted by Abby on 11 December, 2005 - 7:49pm.

I agree with your words in this matter Dr. Rubenstein. Isn't it ironic that what parents usually perceive as being the best thing for their children or in the best interest of their children usually isn't? Understandibly, a parent would want to prevent their child from suffering from a fatal disease, so they take preventative measures. Manipulating is not the same thing and preventing, as you pointed out. Do you think that if people were so concerned about preventing potential diseases for potential offspring, they'd attack the matter from very beginning? Allow me to further explain (although I think the general population would not go so far as this): Woman A meets Man B. They mingle and hit it off pretty well. They spend more and more time together and eventually fall in love. Unbeknownst to them, both are carriers of a deadly trait that would ultimately be transferred to their offspring, who will then suffer. Now let's try a different scenario...Women A meets Man B. They mingle and find that there is a connection between them. But before letting their relationship to further continue, they check to see if they really are genetically compatible. Both previously had their genes tested for "unsatisfactory traits" (those that could cause suffering or even death), and upon comparison,they realize that their offpsring could suffer or die from a disease given by the genes contributed by each. So, to prevent this, they say their goodbyes and go their separate ways. I know this is an "out in left field" preventative measure, but it's still a preventative measure, nonetheless.

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Preventive

Submitted by thanhtran on 13 December, 2005 - 10:51pm.

Abby, your point reminds me of a sad autobiography I read, Alex: The Life of a Child. The story was written by her father, Frank Deford, a popular writer for Sports Illustrated magazine. The Deford parents married and had children, not knowing that they were carriers of a deadly disease, cystic fibrosis. Their first child was normal, but their second child, a little, was stricken with the disease, and died before age ten, I believe. After their experience, the parents wished they were tested for carrying the genes to the disease earlier. I think that getting tested to see if you carry certain "deadly" genes is a preventive strategy. I also think that should be used to give two people the choice whether to consent to having a child with a disease.

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