The era of genetic engineering came earlier than we expected. While GM crops currently constitute more than 90 percent of agricultural products used by American food manufacturers, genetic modification of humans has not yet begun on a large scale. Scientists manipulate with human genome in laboratories trying to define the location of genes which cause congenital disorders. In this way, researchers also expect to discover treatments for infertility and developmental disorders in children. Genetics is a rapidly developing area in science which promises fantastic results, but scientists always bump into some ethical issues on their way to revolution. Most of us still beware of what may happen due to uncontrolled manipulation with such a perfect natural structure as a genome.
Opportunities in the genetic engineering strongly depend on the technology which develops faster than we expect. Scientists find genetic manipulations much easier with every year, but ethical issues grow like a snowball as well. Referring to the advanced opportunities in genetic modification, critics underline that enthusiastic scientists lack responsibility. Removing genes and inserting new ones into the human genome will always bring some amount of unpredictable consequences. And uncertainty is thrilling enough to for people to turn away from a fantastic reality without genetic disorders.
The world will not be ready for genetically modified animals and humans until all possible effects are predicted. But it is impossible to foresee all damage to the end. For this reasons, governments tend to limit practical application of genetic findings to minimize side effects.