Scientists throughout the world have been working on a long-term project that will change the decisions people make about their lives and lifestyles, the way doctors practice medicine, how scientists study biology, and the way we think about ourselves as individuals. This project is called the Human Genome Project, and its main goal is to determine and configure the chemical sequence of DNA in every human being. This project has been going on for the past 12 years but scientists have not made that much progress. Currently, the Human Genome Project has only discovered 100 different DNA genes and is using them for diagnosis, but an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 still remain unfound (Bertucco 1). Many of these genes already found are being used to find cures for diseases, but some are even used for studying existing humans and finding astonishing information about them that was never known before. This study seems great, but many issues have risen due to the fact that this study violates human individuality. However, when looking past this concept, the effort will be well worth it. Our society will be able to understand many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease. .
Looking back to the late 70's when the Human Genome Project was first talked about, our society did not have as many laws and beliefs that we do today. Considering this, it still took awhile for the project to get funding, but by 1989 the project was up and running and already causing controversy. Many reasons could account for this, for example, violation of the law, the amount of funding that is necessary to continue this project and of course the actual information the DNA genes tell us about a human being. These issues got so out of control so the Human Genome Project had to create a group called the ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) to protect them from all the drama that did or was going to arise.