Unit 1 Ethical Issue Essay

The game of genetically engineering everything from food and feed crops, to choosing what our babies will look like is an issue that is always being argued. Some feel that genetic engineering will give us the understanding and knowledge to make a better world, and better take care of the human race. While others feel that we are playing with fire, creating mutations that we have no way of truly knowing the results from the mutations. Those against genetic engineering feel that America is engaged in a several decade experiment with the American people and genetic engineering of foods. Japan has been said to be waiting 20 years to see what happens to Americans. Following are two opinions on why we should not be genetically engineering from a religious standpoint. One is the thought of Ron Epstein a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from the University of California at Berkley, and the other is an article about the former Pope John Paul II opposition to genetic engineering.
According to Epstein genetic engineering is fundamentally against the basic teachings of Buddhism. To start let’s look at karma. Karma is the idea of what comes around goes around. Everything from whether you get your parking space to what family you were born into happened as a direct result of something you did. To Buddhists everything is a result of karma and karma is how the universe keeps everything in balance. According to Epstein the way we are but together affects our karmic quest, what we do in life the lessons we learn and the enlightenment that we achieve. But by alerting our world, ourselves and our food, we risk changing the karmic path that is intended.
Another key issue for Buddhists is the idea of non-harming. Buddhists believe that one should not harm any sentient being, a being that can feel. Buddhists constitute that as all humans and animal life forms, and exclude plants. So the use of living things as an experiment with potential harm is in direct conflict with the idea of non-harming.
There are many applications that challenge Buddhists principles. But they are easily broken down into the two categories discussed above. According to Epstein genetic engineering is a dirty business that supports a lot of corruption, including steeling of ideas, the terminator gene in genetically engineered crops that Epstein views as steeling from the farmer, and countless other issues that contradict Buddhism.
In 2000 Pope John Paul II issued a statement against genetic engineering, stating that it is against God’s will. He spoke to about 50,000 farmers. The Pope stressed that farmers should resist the temptation of higher yield, saying that the farmers would no longer be stewards of the earth instead they would be tyrants and the earth would rebel. This statement changed the official stance of the Vatican on genetic engineering.
Both of these viewpoints are against genetic engineering but for different reasons. While Buddhism warns of interfering with the cosmic plan and of going against the principle of non-harming, the Pope warns of God’s wrath, and that nature would fight back. The Pope’s message is one of self-preservation out of respect to God and the earth. And the Buddhist is one of preserving the natural alignment of the universe.
The issue of genetic engineering whether it is humans, organs, food or anything else will always be a point of debate. The only true resolve will be time. Time to see whether genetically engineering our lives and everything in our lives indeed is harmful for us, our co-inhabitants and the earth, or if things work out just fine. Ultimately it is one more issue for in which humans have the power to change the world, we just need to make sure we’re doing for the right reasons, and that the results are truly beneficial for all.