The Negatives of the Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003. The major goal of the project was to identify and study an estimated 25,000 genes that make up human DNA. For all the positive breakthroughs associated with the Human Genome Project, concerns about access to genetic information could compromise an individual's privacy, create unsafe genetically modified food, and provide sensitive data about an individual's future health that is hard to interpret, and often inconclusive.

Ethical Implications of Behavioral Genetics

• Controversy abounds as advancements in the study of genetics bring forth discussions of designer babies and the elimination of anti-social human traits from the human race. If society had the capability, would it be desirable to create a super race, free from disease and perceived anti-social behavior? Who gets to decide what is considered bad behavior, if genetic advancements actually allow people a hand in determining what type of baby they have? While the study of genetics indicates a definite connection between an individual's DNA and how they act, environmental conditions can not be completely discounted as factors in determining personality and behavior. For this reason, the nature vs. nurture debate continues.

Gene Testing Limitations

• While no one denies that gene testing is useful and has prevented many families from having children with terrible birth defects, the tests designed to predict future illness in an individual are often inconclusive, and might do more harm than good. What causes all the debate is the fact that gene testing interpretation is uncertain and can create false positives, only adding to an individual's anxiety, if that particular disease can not be prevented. One of the reasons results are hard to interpret is because an individual might have a mutation that suggests they are going to develop a particular disease without ever getting the disease.

Genetically Modified Food Safety

• Genetically modified foods cause much debate, partly because of the unknowns that could affect environmental and human safety. Like any new technology, the long-term impact of these foods on health and the environment will not be known for years. For this reason, many people are unhappy about the amount of genetically modified food that is flooding the market. As much as 252 million acres of these crops were planted in 2006. Arguments against this food source include opposition to "tampering with nature by mixing genes among species, violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values, animal abuse and objections to consuming animal genes in plants," according the Human Genome Project Information. Safety concerns that arise when discussing altered foods include "allergens and the transfer of antibiotic resistance markers to humans."

Religious Concerns

• The Genome Project can challenge people's religious beliefs. The idea of getting involved in "God's work" by tampering with the nature of food and the genetic makeup of human beings is considered outrageous by many religious groups. Given a religious fundamentalist's commitment to the idea of personal choice, and how God rewards or punishes people accordingly, it is no surprise that any actions perceived to interfere with a person's destiny are considered sacrilegious.