Conclusion - 1
The biotechnological revolution has already begun. If it is left unchecked and germline genetic engineering becomes a reality, the kind of eugenics that could follow could impact the whole world and change humankind forever. State laws may be effective within the state itself but companies can always outsource or take their whole operation abroad. In this case, international laws will have to be created and enforced. International law creation and adjudication has been somewhat ineffective in the past when it comes to high stakes issues since countries are only bound by their own consent which they need not give. Also, if they do break these laws, enforcement of the laws can be problematic if other nations have to provide enforcement troops and equipment and especially if the nation involved is one of the permanent five members on the UN Security Council who all hold veto power, that is, the United States, Britain, France, Russia, or China.
Therefore, in the end, the UN will have to undergo some reforms to make its law making, adjudication, and enforcement processes more effective, or, the US may have to become a sort of global sheriff, but one thing is definitely necessary: we as human beings have to recognize the potential danger of genetic engineering and the new eugenics to humankind, hold on to our humanity, and say, as author Bill Mckibben said, "Enough!"
References
Fukuyama, Francis, "Our Posthuman Future," (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2002)
McKibben, Bill, "Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age," (First Owl Books, 2004)
Bunn, Austin, "Terribly Smart," New York Times (NYT) Magazine, March 24, 2002
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