The scientific origin of designer babies Research Paper

The scientific origin of designer babies - Research Paper Example Ole Peter Galaasen in his article â€Å"future of designer babies† attributes the current advancements made in PGD to advancements made in molecular genetics and reproductive technology (1). The future of the designer babies in regard to the current scientific advancements seems bright. Basis of Controversies in Religion & Science: Saying that the subject of designer babies is controversial is an understatement. Even controversial scholars such as Satoshi Kanazawa have expressed their doubts over this issue. In his article â€Å"Common misconceptions about science III: Designer babies† Kanazawa states: â€Å"Even if scientists acquired perfect knowledge on the manipulations associated to the human genome, a â€Å"designer baby† requires traits comprising of heritability not less than 100% †¦seeing as the traits studied such as intelligence, personality and height fall short of the specified 100%, there is no guarantee of a perfect designer baby. Parents wil l still depend on a natural course of genetic â€Å"events† and simply put their faith on probability† (2). This shows that genetic selection from a scientific realm perspective has its huddles. Most traits parents would like to modify in their offspring such as intelligence are subject to the influence of multiple of genes. Scholars are at war with themselves in regard to the political, religious and scientific debates sparked by designer babies. Zahedi and Larijani in their article â€Å"Medical Genetic Ethics: Islamic Views and Considerations in Iran† point out that Islam as much as other religion appreciates the benefits of technological and scientific advancements. Legal and health issues aside, what do scriptures and doctrines dictate? To this question Zahedi and Larijani assert that the issue of reproduction remains a sacred one. All scientific advancements in regard to reproduction are subject to rigorous religious scrutiny (1). They point out social and medical ethical issues such as fairness of use of genetic information acquired for medical trials (50). They further indicate the fear of the current medical trials aimed at the betterment of human life’s turning hazardous. In particular, they mention cloning stating â€Å"Cloning is subject to substantial prohibition due to the majority of Muslim reference decrees† (51). Kunich, an avid supporter of cloning, makes reference to religious decrees as superstition used to instigate fear: â€Å"Bad facts make bad law! If there ever was a classic example of this it is the human cloning turmoil, in which science and fact so often overwhelmed by superstition and fear† (137). Kunich reflects upon the negative debates against cloning and to extent designer babies as offensive ideas. He argues that laws against cloning do not derive from facts but rather on unsupported

Components of Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Components of - Research Proposal Example Components of Research Proposal This paper, thus, aims to discuss research proposals and their components, in order to equip the reader with at least an idea pertaining to how to write a research proposal. Discussion A research proposal defined is a statement of intent to explore a subject or topic, and following is a detailed plan for this exploration. A student seeks the help of more experienced people, such as their faculty professors for supervision of their research, as well as guidance. For this reason, the students must ensure that the research proposal they prepare is useful, as well as acceptable, and feasible, for every person involved (Kolb, 2008). One can consider a researcher to be a voyager on the path to discovery, where the proposal is the star that guides their journey and help them avoid fault turns. A few essential sections are needed in every research proposal in order to be complete, other than the title page, abstract and table of contents. These are: Introduction When one embarks on the task of exploring something, it always helps to start with a vague yet much needed description of what the research question actually is. This description is a brief statement of the reason for interest in the topic, and the general nature of the concern. There are several possibilities for the themes, which the introduction can have (Ethridge, 2004). It may describe a person or coalition, which raises an issue for the researcher such as change in law affecting taxation in municipalities. Other than this, the topic may just be one that is a subject of interest of concern for the researcher, for which there is not enough information available. Finally, the topic may be related to something that provokes the researchers’ curiosity, like wanting to know what the conflicting opinions of citizens about health policies in a certain area (Ethridge, 2004). The proposal must go on to turn this general concept into a specific research question, which reveals the authors area of focus and th e hypothesis it plans to test (Kolb, 2008). The question should be one that challenges or explores a concept, and one that the researcher cannot yet answer. One way of narrowing the proposal down to one such question is to first draft a proposal with several questions, and then specify the line of inquiry. Objectives & Rationale In the objectives, the researcher states their aims from the research, and the specific and general goals it has. The rationale of the proposal (Jansen, 1997) brings forward the problems one can expect from the research, and any limitations that the researchers will face during it. It discusses these while keeping in focus the main purpose for wanting to conduct the research, the ‘rationale.’ Research Statement Here, the researcher will state the research question mentioned above, with brevity and clarity. They will also mention their intentions in the research, and the achievements they have planned. The thesis of the paper, which will follow l ater on, will revolve around this question. Theoretical Framework (Literature Review) The literature review of the paper will consist of a heavy amount of research, from formal and scholarly sources. This will consist of information both theoretical and empirical. This information will be required to present an argument in light of the question, whether by purporting it or opposing it, in order to build a clearer understanding of the topic (Ethridge, 2004).