I personally believe that genetically modifying DNA is perfectly okay and a valid expressive medium. Not only can it be an aesthetically pleasing art form, however it can help out the world a lot. I believe that if DNA testing was only an art form, and was harming animals or human beings without helping anything, it should be illegal and wrong. However that is not the case, and lecture really showed that to me.
My favorite example from this class was the GFP bunny created by Eduardo Katz. He used zygote microinjection to take DNA from a fluorescent jellyfish and put it into a fertilized rabbit egg, so that when the rabbit grew up it could glow in the dark. A lot of people found this ethically wrong. But i have to ask, why? If the bunny is not being harmed in any way, and it not only makes for a cool piece of art, but also shows how far we can get with science, what is so wrong with it? The GFP bunny really shows us that with science we could possibly use DNA injection to cure diseases or help out a lot of other problems.
The other big DNA injection case that people that was ethically wrong is what Kathy High was doing to rats. She, along with many other scientists, are using rats as test subjects for a lot of genetic testing. People find this very ethically wrong because rats are still animals and they believe we are harming them. However, people also view rats as pests, and will hire people to kill them in non humane ways from their homes. I feel as though if it is a creature that is going to be killed anyway, we might as well be allowed to use it for scientific purposes that will help the world. Image if we could regenerate body parts that soldiers lost during war from rats! The world would be a 10 times better place.
Resources:
Alba Green. Digital image. Ekac. Ekac, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ekac.org/albagreen.jpeg>.
How Much Is Your DNA Worth? Digital image. Forbes. Forbes, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://blogs-images.forbes.com/daviddisalvo/files/2011/11/DNA.jpg>.
Mouse Human Ear. Digital image. Dna Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://dnaexchange.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/mouse-human-ear.jpg>.
"Why Are Rats Used in Animal Testing?" WiseGEEK. Wise Geek, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.org/why-are-rats-used-in-animal-testing.htm>.
Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture: Design and Media Arts 9.” University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles. November 2013.
Hey Neil!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your work this week, especially your debate about the ethics of biotech. I agree with your thinking also, we should be pushing the limits of what science can offer us. There's so many endless opportunities and possibilities out there. In regards to why people may be against this, I think it is because the animals are being tested against their own will. That is why there are people raising objections to this. Of course, there's really no way to get their consent. Otherwise, do you think there are any other reasons behind the objections to biotech testing?
Best
Rui