THERE'S LITTLE DOUBT THAT GENETIC ENGINEERING IS PROVIDING
THE MEDICAL FIELD WITH THE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS EVER
TO RESEARCH DISEASES AND THEIR CAUSES
AND TO DEVELOP TREATMENTS AND CURES.
>> I THINK THAT GENETIC TECHNOLOGY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
IMPACT THE ENTIRE LIFE SPAN.
IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT BABIES AND THEIR GENETIC MAKEUP.
IT HAS THE IMPACT TO ALTER
THE COURSE OF DISEASES LIKE DIABETES.
IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ALTER THINGS LIKE ALZHEIMER'S;
THAT MIGHT MEAN PEOPLE ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE IN THEIR LATER YEARS.
SO GENETIC TECHNOLOGIES REALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
IMPACT OUR ENTIRE LIFE SPAN AND CHANGE THE ENTIRE LIFE SPAN.
>> WITH THIS POWER COMES AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY.
THESE TECHNOLOGIES CAN AND WILL
AFFECT THE FUTURE OF THE HUMAN RACE,
BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
OF GENETIC ENGINEERING IN HUMAN REPRODUCTION.
THE TECHNOLOGY ALREADY EXISTS TO OVERCOME INFERTILITY
THROUGH TECHNIQUES LIKE INVITRO FERTILIZATION.
SCIENTISTS ESSENTIALLY CREATE AN EMBRYO BY JOINING
THE EGG AND SPERM TOGETHER OUTSIDE THE MOTHER'S BODY.
THAT EMBRYO CAN THEN BE IMPLANTED IN THE MOTHER'S UTERUS.
GENETIC ENGINEERING COULD TAKE THAT POWER ONE STEP FURTHER
BY ALTERING THE EMBRYO THAT'S CREATED.
AN UNBORN CHILD WITH A GENETIC DEFECT,
LIKE THE ONE THAT CAUSES THE FATAL DISEASE CYSTIC FIBROSIS,
COULD THEORETICALLY HAVE THAT GENE REPAIRED.
THE CHILD WOULD THEN BE FREE FROM THE DEADLY DISEASE.
FROM FIXING DEFECTS,
IT ISN'T A VERY BIG LEAP TO CHOOSING TRAITS,
CREATING A DESIGNER BABY.
>> IF YOU HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO ELIMINATE CYSTIC FIBROSIS,
THEN YOU WILL ALSO HAVE TECHNOLOGY TO ALTER GENES
AND GIVE SOMEONE A BABY WITH BROWN EYES
OR WITH PARTICULAR SPORTS ABILITY
OR WITH PARTICULAR INTELLECT.
DO YOU WANT TO GET A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE LIKE ALBERT EINSTEIN
OR A WHOLE GROUP OF MICHAEL JORDANS?
AND YOU COULD POTENTIALLY DO THAT.
WOULD THAT BE EQUALLY AS GOOD AN IDEA AS USING THE TECHNOLOGY
TO HAVE A BABY NOT HAVE CYSTIC FIBROSIS?
>> BEYOND THE FIXES, AFTER THE ALTERATIONS
COMES THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL OF ALL THE APPLICATIONS
OF GENETIC ENGINEERING... HUMAN CLONING.
>> CLONING AND GENETIC THERAPIES WILL RAISE, FOR US,
ISSUES THAT ARE HUGE IN TERMS OF WHAT'S ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE,
BECAUSE WE'RE NOW TALKING ABOUT MESSING WITH GENETIC MAKEUP OF PEOPLE.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE TOMATO PLANTS OR HYBRID SEED CORN
BECAUSE IF SOME OF THOSE GET THROWN OUT IN THE PROCESS,
IT'S NO BIG DEAL, I MEAN, RELATIVELY SPEAKING.
BUT IF WE START CREATING EMBRYOS THAT AREN'T POTENTIAL PEOPLE,
THEN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
AND WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO US ABOUT THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE?
>> THE U.S., EUROPE, AND JAPAN
ALL AGREED NOT TO PURSUE HUMAN CLONING,
UNTIL EARLY 2001... WHEN ENGLAND PASSED A LAW
ALLOWING LIMITED RESEARCH INTO HUMAN CLONING.
AS THE TECHNOLOGY RACES FORWARD,
OUR SOCIETY STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP WITH
THE TOUGH ETHICAL QUESTIONS THAT ARE RAISED.
WHAT WOULD BEING A CLONE MEAN?
>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A HUMAN BEING,
AND WHAT IS THAT MADE UP OF?
I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD SUGGEST THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE
THEIR GENETIC MAKEUP,
WHATEVER THE INFLUENCES OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT HAVE --
HOW THEY HAVE IMPACTED THEM,
AND HOW THEY SEE THEMSELVES...
HOW DO THEY SELF-IDENTIFY AS WHO THEY ARE?
SO YOU COULD CLONE A MICHAEL JORDAN,
AND TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN HE'S A GROWN PERSON,
HE WOULD HAVE THE GENETIC MAKEUP OF THE MICHAEL JORDAN WE KNOW.
BUT BECAUSE HE WAS RAISED BY A DIFFERENT FAMILY,
THE IMPACT OF HIS ENVIRONMENT MAY MEAN THAT HE DOESN'T --
HE HASN'T EVEN SEEN A BASKETBALL.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CLONING?
IF YOU COULD, WOULD YOU CLONE YOURSELF?
WOULD YOU CLONE A PARENT OR A BROTHER OR A SISTER
OR YOUR BEST FRIEND?
>> I'M AGAINST HUMAN CLONING BECAUSE I THINK --
YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK OF ALL THE PROBLEMS THERE COULD BE,
THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG --
>> WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ANIMALS BEING CLONED.
IF WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THAT AND CAN'T GET THAT GOOD,
THEN I DON'T THINK IT WOULD WORK WITH HUMANS.
>> THEN YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER OUR POPULATION AGAIN.
>> THINK OF HOW BORING IT WOULD BE IF WE WERE ALL THE SAME
AND WE ALL THOUGHT THE SAME.
>> THERE WOULD BE NO ARGUMENTS.
THERE WOULD BE NO AGREEMENTS.
>> I THINK PEOPLE WOULD GET TIRED OF IT.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO WALK OUT YOUR DOOR
AND SEE YOU ALL OVER THE PLACE?
SOME PEOPLE WOULD THINK THAT'S REALLY COOL BUT --
>> WHERE WOULD WE HAVE THOSE DEBATES
AND WHEN WOULD WE HAVE PEOPLE PROTESTING WHAT WAS WRONG?
>> IT'S KIND OF PLAYING THE ROLE OF A HIGHER BEING.
IT FEELS WRONG TO DO THAT
BECAUSE ETHICALLY -- I DON'T KNOW.
IT'S JUST THIS FEELING YOU GET,
AND THE FEELING TELLS YOU IT'S WRONG.
>> THERE'S CERTAINLY THINGS THAT IT WOULD BE NEAT IF IT WORKED.
YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY;
YOU'D SEND YOUR CLONE.
YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM.
>> HAVE YOUR CLONE CLEAN YOUR ROOM.
>> BUT IF YOU GOT A MESSED UP CLONE,
THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK.
>> IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN THROW THEM OUT AND SAY, "I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE."
>> THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE JUST DISCRIMINATED BY RACE,
AND I THINK IF THEY FOUND OUT YOU WERE A CLONE, THEY WOULD MAKE FUN OF YOU.
>> IT WOULD BE LIKE,
"OH, THAT GIRL OVER THERE, SHE'S A CLONE.
I DON'T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH HER.
THAT GUY, HE'S NOT A CLONE. HE'S COOL; I LIKE HIM."