In an attempt to keep abreast of this ever-increasing biomedical technology and understand some of the implications that it holds for our future, students will:
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-Keep a log of current events as they appear in print and non-print media.
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-Research selected issues that are raised in the study
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-Discuss and write about issues of governmental regulations and personal ethics
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-Hold a formal debate which argues an individual’s constitutional right to privacy, in the matters of cloning and genetic engineering. This activity will help students better examine some individual concerns about the technologies while weighing its advantages and disadvantages. It will invite students to take a closer look at selected constitutional amendments for help in clarifying their legal arguments. Also, it will bring about a better understanding of the laws by which related issues involving the right to privacy have been argued in America’s courts. Finally, the debate will serve as both a culminating activity to be performed by the students and a tool of assessment for the teacher.
The overall study unit is designed around skills and interests of returning seventh grade students of New Haven’s Talented and Gifted (TAG) program. The three topic ideas- cloning, genetic engineering and the right to privacy are presented as independent lesson segments which will become mini lessons within their core unit -“Future Studies.” Parts of the unit can be adapted for an eighth or ninth grade mini lesson in biology, social science, drama or writing, with little change of focus.
Overview
The issues of cloning and human genetic engineering raise significant concerns for a number of people. Generally, the concerns reflect what we presently know and have come to accept about how life is created and nurtured. The possibilities that are predicted as the results of this technology into cloning and genetic engineering are contrary to what we believe. As medical technology increases in this area so does debate surrounding the research and practice thereof.
For some, the concerns have become fears so great that a number of people have called for an outright ban into the practice of cloning human beings. Likewise, the idea of genetically manipulating human DNA cells raises questions about designing ideal human beings and also prompts a call for banning such research.
Those who support the idea of a ban see no benefits in practicing cloning.. Some concerns go toward ideas of immorality for creating in laboratories that which God intended in nature. Others feel that there is much to be gained by continuing the research and testing its possibilities. For that group, cloning offers benefits to infertile couples or those seeking to solve medical problems.
There are those who feel that genetic research technology would be used for immoral purposes. It raises questions of who will be the beneficiaries? How do we guard against creating a preferred race, a selected intelligence or behavior? How do these ideas of creating and engineering life fit into the traditional scheme of procreating? Cloning and genetic engineering eliminate human individuality and deny diversity, according to proponents of the ban.
On the other side of the issue, there is much to be gained by forging ahead with research into this technology and its application. The benefits could well outweigh the fears that many have conjured up about genetic disasters. The problem is that actual results cannot be obtained without testing it on human beings. While early discovery promises that human genome technology has the potential to help solve numerous medical problems that relate to aging, replacement of human body parts, infertility and what we now view as incurable diseases, we cannot know what will happen without applying the technology.
Proponents of the ban feel that the rich and the powerful will dictate who is cloned or how those clones will function in society? Do we dwell on the possibility that some races or classes of people will be eliminated because they were not chosen to be cloned? Do we hold those same fears about genetic engineering? That somehow medical science will be responsible for providing society with a new social weapon over the underprivileged? Are there any good reasons to take the risks?
Although cloning and genetic engineering invite numerous questions about human behavior and society’s views of the value of life, would a government ban stifle the potential progress that this technology might bring to our lives? Would an outright ban be a violation of one’s constitutional right to find out if our fears are justified?