In this blog post, we will consider how far we should allow the development of gene therapy and enhancement technologies to go, weighing the medical benefits against the ethical controversies.
A long time ago, in 2009, a female participant on a KBS TV show called “The Gossip of Beautiful Women” caused a stir in South Korea. During a segment where the host asked the female guests about their ideal type, one woman said that men shorter than 180 cm are losers. This comment became a major issue in society at the time and continues to be criticized and discussed to this day. People have always consciously or unconsciously ranked others based on physical characteristics in an attempt to prove their own superiority. The human desire to reinforce one’s inferior and weak characteristics has been strong, and science and technology have been developed for this purpose. In modern society, rapidly advancing science and technology has expanded into the realm of genetics, which was once considered the domain of God, and in 1996, scientists succeeded in cloning a sheep named Dolly through somatic cell nuclear transfer.
This constantly evolving biotechnology is also used in gene therapy through genetic engineering and can provide benefits in various ways. Biotechnology through gene sequencing can benefit all members of society.
First, let’s look at the medical aspect. Biotechnology can help many people who have been unable to live normal lives due to genetic problems. For example, in the case of people with hearing impairments, genetic therapy can be used to treat hearing loss by manipulating the base sequence of disease genes. In addition, genetic engineering can prevent hearing impairment genes from being passed on to future generations, thereby eradicating the suffering caused by this condition.
In addition to base sequence manipulation, genetic engineering provides a method for predicting diseases caused mainly by genetic abnormalities by analyzing the base sequences of individuals. Thanks to the Human Genome Project, it has become possible to analyze an individual’s genetic information quickly and at low cost, enabling the development of personalized targeted cancer treatments for diseases caused by genetic abnormalities such as cancer. This offers a higher probability of cure than conventional treatments based on experience.
In addition, there are methods of injecting genes into the human body through a carrier or extracting cells, injecting genes into them, and then re-injecting them. These methods have made it possible to treat incurable diseases and will continue to play an important role in overcoming various challenges in the future. In this sense, biotechnology can be seen as benefiting many members of society.
Some people worry that biotechnology may cause side effects and be inaccessible due to high costs. However, as technology advances, side effects can be resolved, and prices will gradually fall as support becomes available through national health insurance systems.
Let’s look at this from a social perspective. Biotechnology can increase social productivity. Genetically modified foods (GM foods) can increase agricultural production. This is achieved by extracting genetic components from certain plants and inserting them into other crops to increase productivity. When comparing genetically modified foods with pure species, there is a significant difference in production. Pure species are often vulnerable to adverse conditions and cannot be harvested, but genetically modified foods are resistant to pests and diseases, resulting in higher production.
Some argue that genetically modified foods are mostly used as animal feed and do not greatly benefit humans. However, if the breeding of food animals can be promoted, the absolute amount of food will increase, which will help solve the problem of world hunger. In addition, the benefits of this technology can be fully realized by strengthening safety verification of genetically modified foods.
The third is the personal aspect. Biotechnology can reduce the factors that cause unhappiness in individuals. For example, people who are short or have physical defects can regain their self-confidence by increasing their height and eliminating defects through genetic enhancement.
This raises ethical issues. Society could become uniform, filled with only tall and handsome people, and athletes enhanced through genetic enhancement could appear, undermining the essence of sports. However, even in today’s society, there are issues of discrimination based on height and appearance, and genetic enhancement does not determine all athletic ability. Even now, when genetic enhancement technology is not used, there is endless competition for “perfection.” We need to consider whether it is right to prohibit genetic enhancement even though it can solve an individual’s unhappiness.
In the modern society of the 21st century, science and technology are advancing rapidly, and innovative treatments are being developed in the field of genetics. Biotechnology will continue to bring great benefits to all members of society. Although advancing biotechnology brings us many benefits, there are still many unresolved issues in terms of bioethics, such as the use of embryos. However, in addition to issues directly related to bioethics, biotechnology will bring many medical, social, and personal benefits.
