Toan Nguyen Period 3 GATTACA Response 1) Summarize the social/ethical/moral concerns being raised in the movie.

In the first scene of the movie, we see the father chooses not to name his first son after his name because the son is an in-valid, considered more susceptible to disease, educational dysfunction and shorter lifespan. Vincent is not good to be named after him, whereas his other son, Anton, whose traits are selectively chosen, was named after him. Are children to be born with the same blank slates or should some be programmed to be better than others? As the movie continues, the social concern of class division resulting from genetic discrimination and prejudiced is raised. We learn that there are two groups of people: the valid and in-valid. Vincent, who is marked with a DNA sequence of an invalid, cannot obtain the position he wants. This leads to another social problem: the use of identify fraud when Vincent borrows the identity of Jerome Morrow (including his blood and urine samples) in order to pass the interview process and be accepted to space agency. Vincents successes and his promotion to be one of the elites raise more questions. Should humans be genetically programmed to secure that only the best genes are expressed, or should some things be given to chance to determine? Should a DNA sequence or statistical data determine whether a man is qualified for the position or not? Despite his imperfect DNA sequence, Vincent proves that he is capable of doing things that people say he cannot do. During the Vincents confrontation with his brother, a dramatic moment, Vincent said, Even you are going to tell me what I can and can't do now. This seems to be the main concern: the belief that genetically engineered people are capable of doing certain thing or have rights to do certain things that normal people cannot. 1) Choose two of the following and discuss their portrayals in the movie and the possible ethical concerns (pros and cons) if the technology in Gattaca becomes a reality. It seems that the employment process all comes down to the test results of a urine sample. No matter how impressive Vincents resume was, he was denied because his urine showed that he was an invalid. Although genetic discrimination is against the law, the movie shows how easy it is to go around the law. All you need a hair sample or eyelash to screen the persons DNA. In the movie, Vincent was ineligible for medical insurance because his genetic sequence shows his predicted lifespan is 30 years. The ethical concern is that people are denied from getting insurance because of a preexisting condition that they. While this may benefit insurance companies, which can avoid selling insurance to people prone to diseases or illness, the technology make it hard for the people to obtain healthcare. Healthcare is need that everyone should be able to have access to. 3) There should be a worldwide ban on sex selection for medical or non-medical purposes. Because I want a boy is an impractical reason, and Having a girl to avoid sex-linked diseases is an equally inappropriate reason. Once a couple commits to raising a child, they should be happy with whatever they get. Sex selection is similar to trait selection because parents are making preferences of one characteristic over another. They are trying to control something that should be left to chance. Of course parents want the best for their child, but to go as far to choosing the sex or traits of their child shows their cowardice, irresponsibility, and selfishness. Doctors should try to save as many lives as possible; they should not try to change or alter them. If the sex selection technique was allowed, there may be an unequal ratio of boys and girls. For example, in the Vietnamese community, there would be more male births than female
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Toan Nguyen Period 3 births because most parents want a boy as their firstborn. In other place with more extreme cultures where boys are favored over girls, there would also be less female births because parents have an incentive to have a male offspring. 4) Genetic engineering on humans should be legal only to the extent that it is used for embryonic and adult stem cell research. I think the existing laws should be kept in place. Embryonic development should be limit to only a certain stage, so it cannot develop into body parts or an offspring. Stem cell research should be aimed at regenerative treatments and cures. It should not be allowed to develop or alter the human genome. It is acceptable to use stem cell research to regenerate brain cells. It is not acceptable to have stem cells used as a template to create a clone or better version of someone. Vincent dreams of going to space, but he is constantly reminded of his genetic inferiority. I want to step away from a future society where people are discouraged to pursue their dreams because of preexisting condition they have no control over. For example, I am grateful that despite my financial hardship (something I have little control over) I am able to pursue my aspirations to be a doctor.