Ethical Topic in My Sister’s Keeper Movie

Genetic engineering is referred to as the manipulation of an organism’s genes with the help of biotechnology. In humans it is the process of removing defective genes with more effective genes. This is a major ethical theme in the movie My Sister’s Keeper, a film by Nick Cassavetes. 

The movie revolves around the perspective of the main character Anna Fitzgerald, who was born for the purpose of saving her older sister Kate, who is battling leukemia. Anna was in fact engineered, she was conceived with the mindset that she would undergo surgeries and dangerous procedures to provide anything her sister needed. This included organs, blood transplants and even bone marrow. Reflecting back to the movie, it is known that “A scientist hooked up my mothers eggs and my fathers sperm to make a specific combination of genes”. Right away it is made aware that her family cheated the way of life and how a child is naturally created by forcing a process that would ensure specific modifications to benefit their older daughter. 

Ethics is the knowledge principal of right and wrong and a patient must have the right to be well informed of procedures and surgeries they will be receiving. In my opinion, genetic engineering is wrong. I believe it is selfish, an innocent child is being brought into the world with multiple expectations and responsibilities to save another life. It goes against ethics because Anna was too young to give consent of procedures being done to her. In the movie during one of the court hearings Annas lawyer asks her mother at what age Anna began donating to Kate and it all began as a newborn. At the age of five Anna began to donate lymphocytes, also known as giving blood. All in which she was too young to give her consent or simply understand why this was being done to her. Another reason why this goes against ethics is the process in how genetic engineering happens. An offspring is having select fundamental capacities removed and replaced with certain ones to ensure proper beneficial qualities for another life. When the process is completed and the child is brought into this world there are possibilities that it could go wrong. The body systems might not be able to withhold certain procedures or surgeries or simple recover from them. In the movie it was mentioned that Anna at the age of six was hospitalized because she donated granulocytes and bone marrow but there were complications which resulted in her being held at the hospital for six days. These complications could have been a result from certain genes removed from her body. This just proves that genetic engineering is not guaranteed the safest. While her parents were focusing on the wellbeing of their sick child they forget about all the factors that could affect the second, modified child. Lastly, this process can get too far. Annas parents made sure she would be born with the right qualities to help her sister but they took it too far when they began to use her for more advanced procedures even when she had reached the age of being able to have a say in what she wants to be done with her body. Although they proceeded with these actions without consent from Anna they also forgot to ask Kate how she felt about it. They got caught up trying to save Kate that they never stopped to ask her how all of this made her feel. Eventually she got tired of using her younger sister for donations and accepted the fact that she was ready to leave this life on earth. Her family went against her wishes and continued transplants and other operations. This went against the ethical principle of autonomy, the ability of a person to make their own decisions regarding their own health. 

In the movie Kate is talking to Anna about how she’s comfortable leaving and how Anna should tell her parents she wants to be a normal kid and play soccer or cheerlead. Anna asks her if she is scared and Kate responds with no that she knows she will be okay. Just like Anna should have a right to her own body, so should Kate. Anna should be allowed to say what she wants done and what she wants to be donated and Kate should be allowed to make the decision to keep fighting or simply let life take matters into its own hands and determine her outcome. Ethics played a big role in this film but most importantly the principles of informed consent and autonomy.  

SOURCE