Monday, June 23, 2014

CAJ #14: Gattaca


I finally had the chance to watch the movie that first dealt with the possible ethical consequences of PGD. Gattaca (1997) is an American science fiction movie, starring Ethan Hawke and Jude Law, that portrays a society in which genetic engineering has become the norm. As you may have already guessed, the title is based on the four letters of the genetic code that represent the different bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). Almost the entire population in the movie is born with preselected, non-medical traits, such as height, athleticism and good looks. They are only characterized according to their DNA, while nothing else matters. You are only as good as your DNA is basically the overall theme. The few people who have been conceived the traditional way face a lot of discrimination because of their genetics. This can be seen through the eyes of the lead character, portrayed by Ethan Hawke. 

I think it's a little far-fetched and extreme because there are still regulations for the use of PGD. However, parents are nowadays already given the chance to choose some of those feared, non medical qualities. What do you think? Is PGD going to lead society into becoming a master race? Will "normal" born people be faced with genetic discrimination? I think the purpose of this movie was solely to show scientists that this technology can very well get out of control. It definitely can. Maybe you should watch the movie and see for yourself. 

The link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZppWok6SX88  

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