Watch the movie trailer for Gattaca. We will be watching the movie in class during our unit on genetics but I would like you to start thinking about DNA databases now.
Should an employer be allowed to DNA test their employees? Would it be easier to solve crimes if everyone's DNA was required to be on file? Is it OK to categorize people based on their genetic makeup? Many people have objections to this--some think it is a violation of civil rights, some think it is a privacy issue, and others are afraid of being discriminated against by insurance companies.
With that in mind, answer the following questions:
1. Do you think that everyone should be required to provide DNA samples at birth?
2. Do you think that all people convicted of a crime should have to provide DNA?
3. Should your DNA determine what kind of job you are qualified for?
This concept kind of scares me. It seems like it might have some advantages (like you said, would be easier to solve crimes), but there would be much farther-reaching implications. People discriminate against other people for all sorts of reasons, and they can justify these prejudices easily. Look at Hitler, who believed in an Aryan race of people with purely white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. This type of genetic discrimination resulted in the deaths of millions of people. I think if we were ever going to catalogue DNA, it should be similar to how we catalogue fingerprints now. There should be only certain situations where it would be required, like people who have been convicted of crimes or who have high security clearance in government jobs, etc., much like it is today.
ReplyDelete1) I don't think that people should have to give DNA samples at birth. I feel that it would, at some point, violate too many individuals' privacy. I don't like the idea that Gattica might come to fruition in a situation like that.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the testing should be determined by the type of crime that occurred. Petty theft, no. More serious, harm inducing crimes, yes, because then they may have committed the crime before, leaving unsolved crimes. Though there have been cases where a petty theft has gotten a murderer convicted.
3) DNA should not determine where I should work, who I should marry or anything like that. It would be too much like racial profiling and other such silly practices. Your genetic code doesn't determine how stubborn, nice, or nasty you are, that's caused more by the environment you live in. Hard work and perseverance can change your physique as much as laziness can. Plus, DNA doesn't determine if you're going to get disabled in an accident like the rich man in the movie did, spiting his supposedly "perfect" genetics.