Socratic Seminar Evidence Sheet

Guiding Question: ​Is genetic engineering helpful or hurtful for the human race?

Response: ​Genetic engineering is a helpful for the human race because it gives scientists new
insight into disease and genetics that would not have been possible otherwise. In many cases, it
is a positive way of progress for understanding more about what it means to be human, and
what can be done to save more human life.

Bioethics Defined: ​The ethics and morals that serve as “rules” for the scientific community in
medical and biological research. It is also a significant branch of scientific inquiry when it
applies to genetic engineering.

Claim: Evidence: Source:

Example…
Chimeras are unethical and
therefore are harmful to the human
race, as the lines of Homo sapiens
are blurred.
“The ethical concerns focused on
the possibility the human cells
could create animals that had
human brain cells or tissues,
blurring the line between the
species.”
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-sho
ts/2017/01/26/511852229/controversial-
research-on-creation-of-human-animal-
embryos-published
NPR online article: Controversial
Research on Creation of
Human-Animal Embryos

CRISPR-Cas9 is a relatively “CRISPR-Cas9 applications in http://science.sciencemag.org/content/3

easy way for scientists to
manipulate someone’s
genome to correct genetic
disorders. On top of this,
CRISPR-Cas9 can be used
to create genetically
modified plants and
animals.
plants and fungi also promise to 46/6213/1258096
change the pace and course of Science Journal: The new frontier of
agricultural research.” genome engineering with
“study genomic rearrangements CRISPR-Cas9
and the progression of cancers
or other diseases, and
potentially correct genetic
mutations responsible for
inherited disorders”

Preimplantation Genetic “The procedure is performed http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/

Diagnosis gives
“parents-to-be” extra
information about genetic
disorders and challenges their
child might have and allows
parents that wouldn’t have
been able to have biological
children to have them.
before implantation thus preimplantation-genetic-diagnosis/
allowing the couple to decide if Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis:
they wish to continue with the PGD
pregnancy.”
“The procedure enables couples
to pursue biological children
who might not have done so
otherwise.”

Stem cells, and stem cell “hope to use stem cells to repair https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.or
therapy can help to cure or replace many different kinds g/article/stem-cells-secret-change
 genetic disorders and develop
research on rare genetic
disorders by exposing their
stem cells to different
treatments. They are very
versatile in their uses as they
are unspecialized cells that can
be manipulated to aid in
growth and repair throughout
the body.
of tissues, whether injured in Stem cells: The secret to change
accidents or damaged by
diseases. Such stem cell therapy
would allow the body to heal
itself.”
“Experts can also expose small
batches of these diseased cells to
different medicines. This allows
them to test literally thousands
of drugs to find out which works
best”

Notes on Socratic Seminar:

● CRISPR-Cas9 could be used in the future to eradicate cancer, cure genetic disorders, etc
○ Wouldn’t help current generations, but would help future generations
○ More research, trial and error is needed
○ Could yield greater resources for agriculture
○ Makes everything a commodity
○ Industrializes genetics
● A lot of cloned animals have genes turned off that would protect from diseases
● Chimeras could help with organ donors, saving human life
● Three parent children
○ Why not adopt a child?
■ Could save another person’s life from bad parenting
○ More of a risk to have a three parent child or leave them alone?
● Be picky in the methods that we develop so that we can both make progress and not
stretch the boundaries of bioethics too much