Gene therapy is one of the largest and most controversial topics when it comes to ethics and scientific advancement. Not only does gene therapy require human experimentation, but also delves into a part of science that relatively new and not fully understood yet. Furthermore, as is with many pharmaceutical developments and advancements, additional non-engineering related, ethical questions come into play, such as economic conflicts and regulation. Before jumping into the ethics section of this discussion, it is necessary to know what gene therapy is and the instrumentation behind it. Gene therapy is a form of medication that has been proposed to cure many diseases that originate from genetic mutations in our DNA. For example, sickle …show more content…
Using the other shoe test this would be a good solution because this helps the participants by allowing more information to be collected before they undergo treatment. Another way this dilemma could be solved is by passing regulations that prevent any future research involving gene therapy on animals or humans. Again, in applying the other shoe test to this solution one could easily empathise with the difficult position that a terminally ill person would be in. Thus with the application of this test, it is obvious that this is a poor solution. A third potential solution would be to remove any regulations regarding gene therapy and allow those who wish to receive the treatments despite any known or unknown risks associated with gene therapy. By applying the other shoe test this appears to be another viable solution. Allowing patients to gauge their personal level of risk and make a decision based on their individual circumstances may enable those who desperately need treatment to receive it without forcing an unnecessary level of people to assume the