Innovative DNA Unfortunately Makes the Deceased Less Human

“DNA technology played a significant role…[but] [i]n attempting to recognize those remains, the technology developed by ICMP equated the body with the person, relying upon an invisible, intangible synecdoche of sixteen dual digits to stand in for a human being” (119). In Sarah Wagner’s To Know Where He Lies: DNA Technology and the Search for Srebrenica’s Missing, she describes the process in which the thousands of deceased individuals from the Srebrenica massacre can be identified.

While this innovative technological advancement helps families discover their dead relatives, the procedure itself removes the remaining human qualities from the person. Although Wagner states, “Matching genetic profiles promised to reattach personhood (signposted by a name) to physical remains and, thereby, to reconstitute the identified person as a social – and political – subject” (119), she remains skeptical. I do as well because by converting a human into numbers, the DNA technology is taking away all of the spiritual connections the person had with his or her family. Wagner explains further, “While the synecdoche of DNA enables computer software to recognize a set of mortal remains by translating and distilling them into a digital genetic code, that same series of numbers lacks the humanism inherent in surviving families’ memories and the knowledge of the identification experts” (120).

However, the families do have the chance to partake in the identification process because they need to supply their DNA to be matched to their relative or relatives. Therefore, I am in full support of using the DNA technology because it can help those who were grief-stricken by their loss during the events in Srebrenica. Wagner informs the reader further, “The identification process for the Srebrenica victims demonstrates the difficulty of trying to draw lines between the fields of science and humanism” (120). As someone who is very distant from the suffering in Bosnia, I cannot easily decide what would be best for the surviving victims of the Srebrenica massacre. I just know it is important that the DNA technology allows the ICMP to identify those who died, so it should be used when necessary.