The New Healthcare

The recent IBM announcement, about them not using genetic test information to hire/fire/unfairly treat their employees, is really nothing to worry about, because those "genetic defects" could and will possibly be cured using the same genetic technology. This is only a part of the debate...

Dr. James Watson, the discoverer of DNA, stands out alone when it comes to who has done the most good for society using DNA. What I mean by that is, he went before congress to get money so the human genome project could be completed, and the knowledge gathered by that project is now in the public domain. What should we actually do, now that we know that the building block of life is DNA? he has a better established track record than anyone else in answering that question. And here's what he's suggesting, and has been for a while about what should happen next:

"...Watson argues for a new kind of eugenics -- where parents are allowed to choose the DNA of their children -- to make them healthier, more intelligent, even better looking. His vision may be disagreeable, yet it's a natural consequence of the decades of scientific exploration launched by his and Francis Crick's discovery of the double helix. It's worth considering what effect the advancements in genetic science may have on our future..."

He goes on to say, there will always be new genetic diversity, we're only getting rid of the extremely useless diversity that exists now. The counter to this argument is made by a woman who has manic depressive disorder (which runs in families), which also has the effect of making those people more creative than the average. Before anyone starts doubting Dr. Watson's intentions, he himself has a child who suffers from a genetic disorder.

Whether we choose to find and correct our genetic disorders or not, will be what determines what side we're on when it comes to 'genetic racism'. For example: If I have no genetic defects to getting the flu, and therefore won't call in sick as much, and someone else will... I want that to count for me, and against the other person. It will be hard for some companies to institute the same policy that IBM has.

This debate is probably a long way off... I agree with what Dr. watson says, but don't yet understand how there will be new genetic diversity when we're getting rid of the useless diversity, because that is what seems important to me... maintaining genetic diversity. That is what lets us evolve, survive and differentiate ourselves from each other.