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Article: GENETIC ENGINEERING: Is It Morally Acceptable?
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- January 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Scientists seeking ways to produce enhanced size, strength, intelligence, or resistance to toxic substances are being accused of "playing God."
GENETIC ENGINEERING involves directly altering the genetic structure of an organism to provide it with traits deemed useful or desirable by those doing the altering. Genetic engineering of plants and animals has been going on since the 1970s, though attempts to introduce such traits through selective breeding has been going on for centuries.
The most straightforward use of genetic engineering involves producing a plant or animal with "improved" characteristics. In the case of agriculture, for example, genetic ...