Genetic Information About Employees example essay topic

From World News Tonight to the cover of Science magazine, the Human Genome Project (HGP) has attracted much attention. For the past few years, the HGP has been at the forefront of science news and publicity. It has been built up to be the largest breakthrough in the history of modern science. This project will revolutionize the practice of medicine by drastically improving the treatment and / or prevention of numerous diseases and defects. The HGP is in the process of sequencing all the protein bases of DNA in a human, and although each person's DNA is unique, scientists agree that there is a certain sequence common to everyone. Finding this sequence and recognizing what parts of the DNA do what is the ultimate goal of the HGP.

This task, developed in 1990, didn't just seem difficult at its time of conception; it seemed impossible. However, expected advancements in technology have occurred along the way, placing the task within reach. What will stem from these findings will for sure make a significant impact on modern medicine. The Human Genome Project is an international research program attempting to construct detailed genetic maps of the human genome, to determine the sequence, to localize the approximately 100,000 genes in the genome, and to be able to analyze all of this ("The HGP" 1). The term genome refers to the sum of all genes, which are made of DNA ("Speed" 7).

DNA is made up of four similar chemicals (called bases), which are also called amino acids. They are called guanine, cytosine, thymine, and adenine. These four amino acids are repeated in a certain order throughout three billion pairs in the human genome ("Human" 5). It is this certain order that makes each person unique.

Scientists do say, however, that humans are enough alike that there is a genomic sequence that can function as a standard for all of humanity ("Speed" 2). To find this sequence is the major goal of the HGP. Jack Robertson, in his article in the Sacramento Business Journal paints a picture of the future with the HGP in hand. Cancer will be gone. Birth defects will disappear like childhood diseases did a generation ago. An understanding of the entire sequence of human genetics will allow doctors to identify potential problems - and fix them - before many diseases ever take hold.

(14) The HGP's impact on medicine is expected by many to be a tremendous one. The information uncovered is expected to uncover new ways to treat, cure, or prevent thousands of diseases. Thomas Hayden, in his article "The Year We Control Our Destiny" in Newsweek magazine, explains just how big the success of the HGP is by saying that it is "so big it could make the computer look like a minor innovation" (88). On the horizon is a new era of medicine based less on treating symptoms and more by looking to the genetic causes of disease. This will pave the way for earlier treatments of countless problems, both physical and mental ("Human" 5).

Craig Venter, head of a private HGP group and president of Celera Genomics, explains that this is possible because "every disease and trait has a genetic component" (qtd. in Hayden 91). This is the reason that Dr. Sandy Lowden, expert in the field of genetics, believes that "genetics will become the core science of medicine" since our genes are essentially the cores of ourselves (qtd. in D'Allegro 28). Amidst all the scientific talk about the HGP lie some very exciting breakthroughs. The way medical professionals approach the field of medicine will change drastically, for the better. No longer will doctors have to perform multiple tests to find what someone is ailing from, but rather take a simple blood test and find which genes in the person are defective. In essence doctors are able to get to the root of the problem, as opposed to the current trial and error method.

This same practice of inspecting genes will be useful for preventative measures. For example, when a child is born or even still in the womb, the child's DNA can be screened and matched to that of "normal" DNA (which is what the HGP's major goal is to find). Whatever deviation there is from the replica to the child's DNA will show doctors what the child has wrong with them, or what the child is predisposed to. This flaw in the child's DNA could then be manipulated by genetic engineers, eliminating whatever disease that would (or could) have taken place in the child's life. These manipulations in DNA would take place through single or multiple blood transfusions. Although all of these advancements seem amazing, they don't come without some possible downfalls.

Being able to change genes to prevent disease, or simply look at genes to determine optimal therapeutics, also gives medical professionals the ability to alter genes for other purposes. These purposes could include changing characteristic traits in unborn babies to conform to what the parents want. This could include anything from hair color and height to muscle build and body structure. Just the mere ability to have one's genes available to be monitored also raises the question as to who should have access to these genes, and the fairness as to the use of gene monitoring for insurance, employment, or social purposes. The completion of the HGP, however, will bring forth many advancements in the practice of health and medicine, far outweighing the controversial practice of genetic enhancements and the issue of gene accessibility that may accompany the project. One of the most anticipated advancements, and the major reason the HGP will be beneficial to society, is the increase in preventative health measures.

Craig Venter has a very optimistic view of the future of health care. His hope is that "within ten years every baby will have their complete genome sequenced on a disk before they ever leave the hospital" (Ridley 67). Being able to fix problems at their genetic source will completely revolutionize medicine. Imagine your son or daughter being born, and before you can even take him / her home, the doctors inform you that he / she will have Parkinson's disease later in life. At the same time the doctors inform you of this terrible news, they are replacing your child's defective gene with a healthy one. And almost like magic, your son or daughter is suddenly perfectly healthy.

This switch from diagnosis and treatment to prediction and prevention will soon be a reality. The second major advancement stemming from the HGP will be the newfound knowledge involving cell defects, and how doctors will be able to revolutionize the way in which organ defects are dealt with. Donor organs are not nearly abundant enough in today's society, as 300,000 people die each year awaiting a heart transplant ("Speed" 2). However, with the information from the HGP at hand, doctors will be able to grow new cells based on existing healthy cells.

For example, doctors will soon have the power and the knowledge to take cells from a healthy liver, put them into a defective liver, and watch it grow into a healthy one at about one tenth the cost of an organ transplant. Procedures such as these would save an unbelievable amount of lives and money, due to this amazing breakthrough technology obtained by the HGP. No more will people have to worry about problems with artificial or foreign organs either, as they will soon serve no purpose. Improvements in the health field due to the HGP extend all the way down to the area of therapeutics. The project will allow pharmaceutical companies to produce more effective drugs, and doctors will be able to prescribe these drugs based on one's DNA. Medical records will include our complete genome and will allow for an accurate prediction by doctors as to our responses to certain drugs.

These predictions by doctors will help to anticipate bad side effects from drugs and even target people who will do well with certain therapeutics. This would help to save lives seeing that about 100,000 people die each year from poor reactions to drugs, and millions of others have to withstand uncomfortable or even dangerous side effects ("Speed" 2). Geneticists will be able to identify parts of the genome that influence drug response and therefore dramatically reducing side effects and / or their severity. Imagine a world where drugs are picked especially for you, eliminating any costly side effects and even the suffering if a drug doesn't work well for you. Allergic reactions to drugs will be almost non-existent, allowing us the opportunity to get the most for our money from the prescriptions we spend so much on. These breakthroughs in therapeutics will positively affect almost everyone in society, as just about everybody takes prescription drugs in their lifetime.

Additional areas in therapeutics will also see many changes for the better. Almost every aspect involved in pharmaceutical medicines will see improvements, even the least obvious ones. The ability to determine drug dosage will no longer depend on weight and age but rather on one's genetics - how well their body processes medicine and time taken to metabolize it ("Human" 1). Better vaccines will be developed using genetic materials (DNA or RNA) which will activate one's immune system but will not be able to cause infection. These vaccines promise to be very effective while being more inexpensive. Overall health care is also expected to decrease due to the findings of the HGP.

This decrease will be a direct result from many things such as: decreases in the number of unwanted drug reactions, the length of time people are on medications, and the number of medications one must take for proper effectiveness ("Human" 1). Although the HGP sounds like a dream come true, it is not without potential problems. One area that is of main concern has to do with who gets to have access to all of our genetic information, and why we shouldn't be allowed to be discriminated against because of that information. Apparently issues such as these are important to the government as well, seeing as they spend five percent of their 315 million dollars a year budget on taking care of these potential societal issues ("Human"). If issues such as this one are not addressed, we are setting ourselves up for disaster. Insurance companies could deny health care to someone predisposed to certain diseases, or employers could hire their workers based on who is the most "genetically healthy".

The government, however, has already addressed many of these issues. For one, President Clinton has already signed an executive order prohibiting every federal department from using genetic information in any hiring or promotional action. Recommendations for future laws were released in a 1998 report in which the Clinton Administration guaranteed that the findings from the HGP will be used to improve health and not to discriminate on any level. These recommendations are: oEmployers should not require or request that employees or potential employees take a genetic test or provide genetic information as a condition of employment or benefits. oEmployers should not use genetic information to discriminate against, limit, segregate, or classify employees in a way that would deprive them of employment opportunities. oEmployers should not obtain or disclose genetic information about employees or potential employees under most circumstances. ("Human") Another major reason the HGP could cause some problems is that the practice of genetic enhancements could become very popular among the wealthy community.

Brad Evenson, writer for the National Post, has indicated that "it is a surprisingly short step from using gene therapy to treat medical defects to using it to 'improve' an already healthy baby" (34). It is scary to think what could turn out if people in society begin designing their own children. However, the fact that procedures such as these promise to be extremely costly brings a hope that this will never catch on. Jeffery Nicker, professor of gynecology at the University of Western Ontario, promises that "only the rich will have access to these possibilities" (Evenson 36). If it does become popular, however, people who choose to live natural lives, free from DNA adjusting or enhancing, could come to be treated with discrimination. What is most interesting to me about this is that Evenson states that "our society could not survive without freaks" (37).

This is very interesting in that many great thinkers of this world were known to have suffered from many illnesses. Does that mean that they are freaks? Wasn't it the great artist Vincent Van Gogh who cut off his own ear? Many people believed that even the great Albert Einstein suffered from depression. I believe that society will realize that genetic enhancements are far from perfection, but rather a step towards imperfection. Maybe Brad Evenson sums it up best by pondering that "perhaps it is our flaws that draw us toward perfection" (37).

The future with the genetic map in hand has the opportunity to take mankind to a whole new level. The government has taken the right steps to help resolve the major issues surrounding the HGP, and an array of laws promise to be enacted by the time the HGP is completed. The medical community will revolutionize its practice at an incredible rate, paving the way to healthier lives for all of us. No longer will we have to hope for a perfectly healthy baby, as doctors will have the technology to provide perfect health no matter what condition the baby is born into. The future for society will still be full of problems, as we are and probably always will be far from perfect.

But with the HGP complete, we will be able to live healthier, fuller lives. We will be able to control our health, rather than describe it.