Is a World Like 'Gattaca' Inevitable?

Every year, advances in both science and biotechnology promise a world in the future that may not be all that different than that portrayed in 'Gattaca'. Science is an ever-growing field, scientists and society are always yearning for the next best scientific advance. The latest trend, it seems, has been in the biotechnology category. Biotechnology is currently one of the most controversial topics dividing people, much the way political parties do. While biotechnology certainly has many pros, it also has many cons. I, like most people, cannot choose a side which I favor over the other, but I simply recognize the many pros and cons and will decide for myself how I feel about individual instances. Many problems we as humans face today can be easily eliminated by the discoveries and advances in biotechnology. World hunger could be virtually nonexistent due to genetically-engineered crops, noteably corn. Illnesses will be easily cured and even prevented by new pills and genetic techniques.

Genetically-engineered bugs have even been created that will be genetically altered to do different helpful tasks. "Each of the bugs will have a mission. Some will be designed to devour things, like pollution. Others will generate food and fuel. There will be bugs to fight global warming, bugs to clean up toxic waste, bugs to manufacture medicine and diagnose disease, and they will all be driven to complete these tasks by the very fibers of their synthetic DNA." (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/magazine/craig-venters-bugs-might-save-the-world.html?ref=biotechnology) Bugs or not,the most important thing is that biotechnology would make and is making the world a better, safer, and easier place to live for everyone.

However impressive biotechnology is, the moral viewpoint remains. Is it morally right to pre-determine what a baby will look like? Is it morally right to clone animals, and, in the future, humans? I don't think so. While I recognize the perks of these things, I think that part of the beauty of life is how natural it is. A baby is born naturally, an animal is born naturally. Aside from this point, if too many advances in biotechnology are made, it will completely disrupt the system of life and death and natural selection that has been naturally formed. Our population relies on the knowledge that people will die, as harsh as it sounds. We need people to die of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's to ensure that the population does not inflate. With biotechnology preventing fatal illnesses and diseases, too many people will be on this Earth. Biotechnology is and forever be a fascinating topic, one of controversy, and one that does both good and bad.