Event 2 Blog Post

 Event 2 - Gattaca Watch Party 

    The film Gattaca was extremely thought provoking, as it highlighted themes surrounding discrimination and the future of science. The premise of the film is a world built on genetic engineering, that essentially produces a caste system. The elite are genetically flawless and are predominantly composed of genetically engineered people. The protagonist Vincent Anton is at the bottom of this system, as he was conceived naturally, unfortunately with a heart defect and a life expectancy of 30 years. Vincent's dream since adolescence has been to become an astronaut, which is impossible for someone of his status to accomplish. However, he is able to achieve this by essentially faking his genetic identity. Gattaca connected very well with this class, as it explored the intersection between art and science. The movie detailed a world where people artistically craft their desired traits and execute their plans with science. 

    This film served as a critique for the future of genetic engineering, and a warning for the potential damages it could cause to society. The largest issue deals with the discrimination all of the "de-gene-rates" face simply due to genetic imperfections, which are only natural. For the duration of the movie, I viewed Gattaca as a futuristic world that would never end up actually happening. However, as I think more about genetic engineering, I believe that this world is not as distant as it may seem (Forbes). One example that supports this theory is in vitro fertilization, which details a process where the egg and sperm are combined outside of a human body. While this process is generally used to treat infertility, there are rising concerns about in vitro being used to create designer babies (ScienceDaily). Although I believe procedures like this can greatly reduce the risks of certain diseases in offspring, it also opens up a new world of trait selection. If certain traits become more desirable than others, and people have a tendency to only choose those traits, there will undoubtedly be a rise in discrimination. Additionally, these procedures are extremely inequitable, as is can cost anywhere from $4,900 - $30,000 (CNY). 

    Another example of Gattaca in today's world is He Jiankui's designer baby project. Jiankui illegally created the first genetically engineered baby with CRISPR technology (NY Times). Although this project succeeded, it was against may laws deliberately put in place for safety reasons. The babies were also found to be at an increased risk of premature death.While this may be effective in eradicating certain diseases, there will always be scientists using these procedures to acquire their own fame and wealth. Advancements in this field can be truly incredible as long as we are willing to take responsibility and fully consider the ethics first. 

Sources

Ball, Philip. “CRISPR: Implications for Materials Science.” Cambridge Core, 2016, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mrs-bulletin/news/crispr-implications-for-materials-science.

Barsouk, Adam. “Parents Can Already Use Genetics To Select For Healthier, Maybe More Intelligent, Babies.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Dec. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/adambarsouk/2018/12/01/genetically-selected-babies-are-already-readily-available/?sh=a71796f12410.

BBC. “China Jails 'Gene-Edited Babies' Scientist for Three Years.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Dec. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50944461.

Cicutaepisteme. “Gattaca & Bioethics.” The Hypertextual Lounge, 15 Feb. 2017, thehypertextuallounge.com/2017/02/14/gattaca-bioethics/.

CNY Fertility. “IVF Cost: Analyzing the True Cost of In Vitro Fertilization.” CNY Fertility, 13 Oct. 2020, www.cnyfertility.com/ivf-cost/.

Ding, Karisa. “Fertility Treatment: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).” BabyCenter, 4 Feb. 2021, www.babycenter.com/getting-pregnant/fertility/fertility-treatment-in-vitro-fertilization-ivf_4094.

Karavani, Ehud. “Simulations Suggest Embryo Selection Based on Traits like Height or IQ Is Still Far Off.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 21 Nov. 2019, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191121121757.htm.

Wee, Sui-lee. “Chinese Scientist Who Genetically Edited Babies Gets 3 Years in Prison.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/business/china-scientist-genetic-baby-prison.html.