Some might say it is unethical... free essay sample

Some might say it is unethical to abort an unborn fetus. Others think it is unethical to cheat on a test. But what about gene therapy? More specifically, germline gene therapy. Germline gene therapy is a technique used to eliminate diseases from someones DNA so it does not show up again in future generations. Note that this affects the person receiving the procedure and their future children. There are many arguments for and against germline gene therapy, including is it ethically acceptable, do the benefits outweigh the risks, is it affordable, is it really needed, and does it consider human rights. The first major component of questioning whether or not germline gene therapy is ethical is asking Is it ethically acceptable? Well, in 1993 the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC) was formed in the United Kingdom. Its main purpose is to supervise the use of gene therapy. All applications for gene therapy must be approved by the GTACs research Ethics Committee (REC). This helps stop applications from being accepted if theyre for reasons that are not non-medical, like designer babies. However, on the other end of the spectrum, some think gene therapy is not ethical. It can result in misuse like handpicking particular characteristics without regards to if it is good for the next generations health. Much like a certain infamous event in history, it could be used to pick certain characteristics to improve the population. Finally, it could lead to society not being accepting of people who are different, perhaps genetically modified. We already have enough problems with society not being accepting. But if you are really worried about that being a problem, no one said you had to tell anyone you are genetically modified. You may be wondering about the benefits and risks of gene therapy. Do they outweigh each other? Some say yes because it erases disease causing mutations that will be genetically passed down. This prevents future generations from ever inheriting the disease and allows them to have a good, long, nice life with no worries health-wise. Some say no, that gene therapys benefits do not outweigh the risks. It is too unpredictable. If the diseases was successfully eradicated, other mutations could pop up. Besides, gene therapy sometimes does not even work, or it works temporarily but then the disease comes back. It would have been for nothing if you spent all this money and it did not even work. It would be better to wait till technology has improved. Also, gene therapy targets the reproductive cells, so if anything were to go wrong, it would affect the hosts offspring. There are always risks with things like this, so it is really up to the person if they want to go ahead with it and still potentially not even be fixed. Like all medical procedures, cost is a big worry and can sometimes be a problem. Since gene therapy is still in its first stages, it is mighty expensive. If you live in a part of the world where there is no free healthcare, getting gene therapy may not be an option if you can not afford it. It could cost up to $1 million for just a single treatment. Even so, some people think the cost is worth it. You must think long term; if a disease can be eliminated and therefore not exist in a population, the overall cost of the treatment is worth it in the long run. Once gene therapy has been perfected and constructs a cost-effective way of dispersing it throughout the world, it will become cheaper. Also to take into account is how extreme the disease is. If you are eliminating a gene for cancer, then yes, it is worth it. If you are eliminating a gene for bad eyesight, maybe not. Bad eyesight is something you can live with. Cancer is not. By now you might be thinking is gene therapy even really needed? There sure have been a lot of medical advances since the beginning of time. It does not seem so unbelievable that editing your genes is a possibility. In favor of it, it will in the long run terminate diseases like Huntingtons disease from the population, which would obviously be very beneficial. The process for this would be similar to how polio, smallpox, and rinderpest were terminated; through global vaccination programs. It may even be easier than getting rid of those diseases since polio and smallpox are so contagious and genetic diseases are not. Against gene therapy, there is the argument that it is not successful enough to rule out the need for post-fertilization screening of embryos. Furthermore, gene therapy has a ton of steps and includes risks for the embryo. For now, I feel as though we have survived this long without gene therapy, we can probably survive for a long time more. Although it would be nice to not have to worry about getting a disease. Finally, perhaps the most controversial question, does it consider human rights? Some may argue that that does not matter because the human in question has not even necessarily been conceived yet. No unborn child is able to choose their genetics or characteristics and whether they have a disease or not. Some also say that children modified through gene therapy do not give permission or consent for their genes to be changed. In a survey taken by Alyssa Armsby and a professor of genetics named Kelly E. Ormond to see peoples thoughts on if gene therapy is ethical or not, it was found that 51% said it is unacceptable. The other 26% said it was okay. Note, though, that some of the 51% that voted unethical did so because of religious beliefs or reasons, as well as because of knowledge of gene therapy. Maybe more learning is required for people to accept it. Overall though, since it is regulated, gene therapy would ultimately benefit the child because it is eliminating diseases from their genes. You would not be editing their physical characteristics. Is that not a good thing? Would you rather your child have a gene for Alzheimers and forgetting everyone and everything? Or would you rather them live a long life to a ripe old age and never forget a thing about the great life you gave them by getting gene therapy? In the end, the choice to get gene therapy is entirely, completely up to you. If you choose to not get it because you believe it is unethical, then it will not be the end of the world for you. Millions of people have diseases and fight through it their whole lives; you can too. If it is too expensive, do not worry. It is likely no one else has gotten gene therapy, because no one has gotten a small loan of a million dollars.