Friday, February 03, 2006
I must confess that the show "Gattaca" puts me in a quandry.
On one hand I see the tremondous potential the application of DNA has on medicine - it will without a shadow of doubt be the forefront of bio-medical science, and will bring unprecedented cures, treatments and preventive medicines to humanity.
On the other hand I think I understand human nature well enough to know that some will misuse this knowledge we have acquired. Discrimination has been part and parcel of humanity since the earliest annals of history - I cannot delude myself and say humanity will change. DNA will definitely lead to a new form of discrimination - one, as Vincent puts across succintly, one that will be based on your genes. DNA testing of potential employees has already begun on a small scale in the U.S.
Yet, I think that this a tide that all of us will have to ride. We cannot and should not ban genetic engineering absolutely because in it holds the physical salvation of many in the near future. In Singapore, we have a cancer rate of 1 in 3. Think about it. Look at the 2 friends sitting next to you. Statistically, ONE of them will develop cancer of some sort. For me - 12 of you will develop cancer. How can I be so selfish as to deny 12 of you the chance of a healthy life? How can I deny you that just because I have some misgivings about how society will change with this tide? Do we ban money because it corrupts some? Do we ban the use of a knife if someone uses it to kill?
In the midst of this quandry I believe there IS something positive we can do about it. Many of you will be involved in the life-sciences in the near future. Some of you may become lawyers and be invovled in the passing of laws for GE. Some of you may becomegovernment people who write policies with regards to GE. When you are in these positions. Just do me a favour and think about Vincent. That's what we can do.
Remember Vincent.