This blog post examines the discrimination and human dignity issues raised by genetic engineering through the film ‘Gattaca’.
Director Andrew Niccol’s film ‘Gattaca (1997)’ is set in a future where genetic manipulation of in vitro fertilized embryos enables the birth of “custom-made humans”. Based on the information provided in the film, the protagonist can be seen as a “first-generation custom-made human,” born into a generation where such customization became possible, unlike his parents’ generation. Made in 1997, this film depicts a future society made entirely plausible by advances in biology. The plot is as follows:
In the near future, advances in biology allow us to give birth to children with desired traits. Vincent, the film’s protagonist, is a “natural human” born without undergoing genetic modification. At birth, genetic information reveals not only the probability of conditions like neurological disorders, depression, attention deficit disorder, and heart disease, but also projected life expectancy. Vincent was born with a 99% probability of heart disease and a projected lifespan of 30.2 years. Vincent, possessing unfavorable genes, is denied insurance coverage and rejected by educational institutions. His dream is to become a space navigator, but his genetic makeup makes it impossible. While genetic discrimination is illegal, companies can easily obtain applicants’ genetic information through methods like urine tests, repeatedly dashing Vincent’s hopes.
The film introduces Vincent’s younger brother, Anton, a genetically engineered human. From childhood, Vincent and Anton competed to see who could swim farther out to sea, with the physically superior Anton always winning. One day, however, Vincent wins. This event becomes the catalyst for Vincent to leave home in pursuit of his dream.
Leaving home, Vincent begins his life as a janitor, one of the few jobs available to a natural human. He lands a janitorial job at Gattaca, the aerospace company where he believes his dream lies. While cleaning at Gattaca, Vincent meets Jerome through an intermediary. Jerome possesses superior genes but is paralyzed from the waist down due to an accident. Vincent deceives Gattaca by passing off Jerome’s genetic material as his own to secure employment. Using his own efforts and Jerome’s genetic material, Vincent passes the various tests required to become an astronaut. After many twists and turns, he finally departs for space, concluding the film. This film depicts the journey of Vincent, a natural human living in the first generation of genetically engineered humans, who uses Jerome’s genetic material to overcome competition with other engineered humans and ultimately achieve his dream.
While numerous problems could arise if genetically engineered humans actually existed, the film presents two significant issues that have already been resolved. After briefly mentioning what these resolved issues are, I will present my argument in the following discussion, assuming these problems have been solved. Those two issues are as follows. First, there are no limits to genetic manipulation technology. The technology briefly shown in the film when Vincent’s parents decide on Anton involves in vitro fertilization of sperm and eggs, followed by analyzing the genes of the fertilized embryo to correct problematic parts. If we possess the technology to modify specific parts of DNA and have information on which traits specific DNA segments express, we can conclude that we can create children with precisely desired genes. Therefore, before proceeding with the discussion, we assume that in the first generation of custom-made humans, parents can have children with exactly the genes they desire.
Second, there is no mention whatsoever of the costs incurred during the creation of custom-made humans. Vincent’s parents make their decision about Anton without any discussion with a doctor or consideration of cost. However, given that in the film, natural humans can only hold jobs like janitorial work, and that there are facilities that provide genetic scores for specific genes, it is reasonable to conclude that manufacturing custom humans is costly. Furthermore, the cost would increase with more extensive genetic manipulation to obtain better genes. Therefore, in the following discussion, we assume that genetic manipulation incurs costs, and that costs increase with more extensive manipulation.
Considering these two scenarios, I oppose custom-made humans. The first reason for opposing custom-made humans is the widening wealth gap. To obtain good genes, the original parents’ genetic makeup is important, but it is equally crucial to correct the unfavorable parts of those parents’ genes. Since such manipulation will certainly incur costs, economically affluent groups will create children with better genes, and those with good genes will find success easier. Therefore, the gap between rich and poor will accelerate with the advent of custom-made humans.
The second reason to oppose custom-made humans is the decline in quality of life for humans with unfavorable genes. Natural humans exist whether desired or not. Like the film’s protagonist Vincent, parents may choose natural methods because they want to, or a child may be conceived naturally without planning. In any case, a natural human child faces limited opportunities from birth. Opportunities are also limited by genetic quality among custom-made humans themselves, not just natural humans. This is well illustrated by the character Irene in the film. Irene is a custom-made human, but her poor heart condition limits her to traveling only as far as the solar system. While one might argue that genetic differences can be overcome through effort, it is not easy. This is evident when we see that most gold medals in short-distance track events are currently won by athletes of African descent. In the film, Vincent ultimately achieves his dream, but this would have been impossible without deceiving his own genetic makeup. Even without the existence of custom-made humans, advances in biology could still identify genetically superior individuals. Therefore, regardless of whether custom-made humans exist, the quality of life for those with unfavorable genes is likely to decline. However, while a world without custom-made humans might offer opportunities to those without superior genetics, in a world with custom-made humans, if there are enough individuals with superior genes, those with inferior genes would be deprived of numerous opportunities.
Finally, the reason for opposing custom-made humans is the decline in their quality of life. The biggest problem with custom-made humans is that their parents determine their genes. A custom-made human created according to their parents’ plans will have their future forced upon them, regardless of their aptitude or preferences. In the movie, there is a scene where a pianist with twelve fingers performs a piece only possible with twelve fingers. While the film doesn’t reveal if this pianist is a custom-made human, parents who want their child to become a pianist might desire a child with twelve fingers. However, as twin studies show, environmental factors play a more significant role than genetics in shaping a child’s self-concept. In other words, even people with identical genes can aspire to different careers depending on their upbringing. The child with twelve fingers, born to fulfill parental wishes, is pressured to become a pianist. Furthermore, the custom-made human, born with near-perfect genes, suffers from an inferiority complex stemming from the constant pressure to be flawless. In the film, Anton cannot accept losing a swimming bet to Vincent, who possesses inferior genes. Though not directly introduced in the film, Jerome, a promising swimmer, becomes so pessimistic about finishing second in a swimming competition that he attempts suicide. Thus, the lives of these genetically superior custom humans are not necessarily happy ones.
Some people advocate for custom humans. They believe that the development of abilities based on the superior genes of custom humans could advance society as a whole. However, it is certain that access to such superior genes will be reserved solely for the wealthy, who already face few significant challenges in life. Most would agree that a society where those currently struggling can also thrive is preferable to one where the well-off become even better off. The unchecked emergence of custom-made humans would deepen the wealth gap, potentially bringing misery to both those who benefit and those who do not.
Nevertheless, despite these concerns, the numerous benefits genetics could bring to humanity mean the technology to create customized humans will eventually be developed. When the time comes when customized humans are actually feasible, we must ensure that only certain therapeutic gene edits are legally permitted and that they are provided free of charge, preventing the concerns outlined above from materializing.
