Gene Therapy Argumentative Essay

Can you imagine undergoing a treatment that can essentially create havoc for your genes and your body? It’s hard to imagine, but it’s actually here. Gene therapy has been around since 1972 and is still under development before humans could undergo this process or treatment. It consists of using sections of DNA or specifically genes and has created a lot of controversy worldwide. However, there are a handful of people who argue that gene therapy is another possible treatment option for diseases such as hemophilia. Others believe that this treatment option is just “playing God [and as seen as being] ‘sacrilegious’” (Bose, 2010). Gene therapy is unethical, as it can greatly negatively impact human kind, because it can cause more disorders to arise,

The most common argument made in favor of gene therapy is how it can provide one with hope that one day their disorder, such as Parkinson’s disease, can be cured so that they can live a normal and healthy life. Scientists believe that there is potential to replace cells. “We are constantly attacked by newer, more dangerous and vituperative types of germs and pathogens. Although many of such diseases can be treated or cured medically, there is no cure for genetic disorders unless defective cells are replaced by proper ones which is what gene therapy does” (“List of Pros and Cons of Gene Therapy,” 2015). However, despite the previous arguments, the negative effects that come with gene therapy outweigh the positive connotations. There are two types of gene therapy, somatic and germline. Both of them raise unethical questions, but germline therapy needs to be taken into account of. Germline therapy is “when DNA is transferred into the cells that produce reproductive cells, eggs or sperm, in the body. This type of therapy allows for the correction of disease-causing gene variants that are certain to be passed down from generation to generation” (“Is germline gene therapy ethical,” 2015). Meaning, not only will you be cured from the disease, but future generations will unlikely inherit that same disease. We shouldn’t be able to make the choice of the future. Let the