That's what they said about the invention of lightning rods, and anesthetics, too.
Yes, really.
Don't forget pasteurization, immunization and (still a bone of contention among some Christian and Jewish sects) blood transfusions.
I'm no Luddite. But lightning rods and anesthetics are mere toys compared to the dangers posed by the misuse of bioengineering. I've lived on this earth long enough to know that if a thing can be done, someone will do it -- codes of ethics and laws be damned. Whether it's a sick Dr. Moreau-type or a misguided "environmentalist" determined to wipe out Gaia-threatening humans with a "designer virus," I think hubristic use of the technology will eventually get us. I hope I'm wrong but we're not even doing very well on the nuclear non-proliferation front these days, are we?