All superheroes in comic books and movies have some sort of power or special trait that causes them to stand out and rise above the average civilian. Most of these superheroes have that power written in their DNA either by chance or birth. For example, the bite of a radioactive spider caused Peter Parker’s DNA to fuse with that of a spider giving him superpowers. Star Trek’s Joachim was the brightest and best as a product of genetic modification. What if average humans were given the option to undergo treatment to possess superpowers? Having special powers is just the extreme end of the gene editing spectrum. What if humans were simply able to ensure the eradication of diseases or disabilities forever over entire generations? Sounds too good to be true and indeed there are many horrifying outcomes that could result. This is the more realistic version of gene editing that is being hotly debated throughout the medical community. Germline gene therapy, the alteration of reproductive cells that passes genetically modified traits to future generations, is unethical in that it would be in society’s hands to determine what is considered a disability, vast divisions in society are created, and the unborn …show more content…
Consent is knowing all the facts and risks about the medical procedure and then agreeing to go through with it. It is crucial to every medical procedure and without it, the right of the individual is compromised. Those affected by the changing of the genes are unborn and have no say in receiving the treatment. The impacted are not consulted and those people have not given permission to the changes that were made to their genetic makeup. It would never be known whether the future generations would want the kind the germline gene therapy that their ancestors decided to do. The violation of consent violates a basic human right to be fully informed before something takes place to them