Gene Therapy Persuasive Essay

At the turn of the twentieth century, less than ten percent of American families owned a stove, phone, or had electricity, and the first automobile was more than a decade away (Thompson). A careful analysis of the adoption rate of new technologies in the United States during the twentieth century by Visual Economics shows that “today, at least 90% of the country has a stove, electricity, car, fridge, clothes washer, air-conditioning, color TV, microwave, and cell phone” (Thompson). The growth and development of technology has given the world many great advancements, however, it has begun to have harmful repercussions. Expansion of social media and cell phones has lulled teenagers into social isolation (Ramey). Robots and artificial intelligence

This new technology could be extremely detrimental to society and open a door to designer humans (Maldarell). Currently, only people treated with gene therapy have genetically engineered DNA, but the powerful new gene editing tools could expand the scope of DNA altercation, forever changing the human genome (Saey). Although gene therapy is vital to many people and should not be banned, it is dangerous technology that scientists are experimenting with. Carefully constructed restrictions need to be placed so that they are only permitted to alter genes in somatic, or body, cells and strictly prohibit alteration in reproductive cells (Saey). Molecular biologist Matthew Porteaus of Stanford University states that “there is no benefit in my mind of having a child born with a devastating disease, but that does not argue for sliding into Gattaca territory, where genetic modification becomes mandatory” (qtd. In Saey). Technology has given the world so many amazing medical advancements that have saved millions of people’s lives with new treatments and tools to reduce human mistakes (Ramey), however, it has begun to blur ethical lines. Banning genome altering technology could leave people with genetic diseases and society in the lurch, but there also needs to be strict regulations for such alterations (Saey). There are incredible

Surveys prove that 94% of teens who have phones go online daily or more often (Lenhart) and an average American spends eleven hours on social media (Leader). These statistics show how society has gradually begun to communicate and entertain themselves solely with technology. Digital scholar and techno-optimist Jason Silva states that “disrupting technologies of communications- such as the alphabet, such as language- absolutely change the architecture of the brain” (qtd. in Leader). Modern technology is literally changing the human race mentally as more people have access to it. The adverse effects of technology are primarily damaging teenagers as more of their lives are spent online, and any disruption of that would disrupt their world (“How The Internet”). Social media and video games could also, ironically, cause social isolation (Ramey) and research shows that there is a correlation between poor physical and mental health and grades and an overuse of social media (“How The Internet”). The progression of cell phone and computer technology has been society altering in the past twenty years and has helped people communicate easier and better with others. These advancements also have had detrimental effects on society, specifically the teenage population. With the creation of social media and the availability