Comparison Patenting Life by Michael Crichton and...

In â€Å"Patenting Life,† Michael Crichton argues that the government is mishandling the patenting office with the awarding of patents for human genes. Gene patenting is blocking the advancement of modern medicine and could be costing many patients their lives. The hold on research results in the discovery of fewer cures for modern diseases. The United States Patent Office awards patents to companies that discover cures, tests, and medical operations for human genes. These patents are in use to compensate these companies for their discovery and encourage them to advance their research and create more medical advancements. Canavan disease is a disorder children inherit that begins to show symptoms at three months; they cannot crawl or walk and†¦show more content†¦9). Michael Crichton has many good points in his paper, but the fact that the argument uses bias word choice and does not give positives and negatives shows that the argument has fundamental flaws. Crichton n eeds to state facts and real life situations, while depicting positives on both sides of the issue. Crichton needs to be more open to gene patenting when writing his essay. Michael Crichton makes a good point when talking about the examples given. The situation dealing with Canavan disease and the Miami Childrens Hospital Research Institute is a good example of how gene patenting can block the general population from enjoying a medical advancement. Another example is when Crichton states, â€Å"When SARS was spreading across the globe, medical researchers hesitated to study it because of patent concerns† (442 par. 12). Gene patenting has a fundamental flaw in it because it is slowing the advancement of modern medicine. Gene patenting blocks researchers from looking into genes that companies own and demands royalties every time the patent is in use. This is a problem that the United States needs to address so that patients can enjoy all the medical advancements that are in rea ch for the future. Michael Crichton gives weight to his argument by using the