Though the morals of altering humans before they are born without permission are quite grey, it is not without good cause. Being able to cure many of the diseases that affect a large portion of humanity today is a big step forward. Personally, I have never been affected by such concerns for myself or a family member about genetic disorders but everyone is able to relate to the loss of someone close to them.
I understand the risks brought up by altering humans; discrimination against those with inferior genes, the morality of changing foetus development as experiments, it is very disturbing. Cross breeding is an unpleasant thought for many people and it is understandable why, especially outside of similar species. It is morbid knowing that the thing is neither species but an incomplete combination of both.
Some mistakes caused by Gene therapy have sometimes left the patient even worse than if doctors did not try to fix the gene. Will trying to fix an X-linked severe immunity disorder, doctors managed to trigger leukaemia with the patients. The human genome is vast, we do not know what or how many genes each gene is related to. The domino effect could be short term or long term, after the incorrect genes have already been passed on to the next generation.
However the benefits provided by Germline Gene therapy and Gene therapy in general is more than enough reason to continue the experiments. Currently gene therapy is the closest method humans have of preventing malaria, a disease so dangerous it has killed half of all the humans that have lived. By monitoring what genes each individual has, I believe that we can use up less of the doctors time, giving them more time to specialise and study their branch of science.
The administration of the gene does not need to happen for everyone. By making the allele dominant, the correct gene will mask the incorrect allele, this way is would not matter if you were a carrier because the incorrect gene recessive. Using germline's hereditary factor, the less likelihood of an early death and the dominance of the correct gene people are more likely people will have the correct gene to pass on.
The idea of changing humans to cure chronic or lethal diseases is the right direction for humanity to go. Yet the line must be draw for scientists to know when to stop and that they're going too fast.
I understand the risks brought up by altering humans; discrimination against those with inferior genes, the morality of changing foetus development as experiments, it is very disturbing. Cross breeding is an unpleasant thought for many people and it is understandable why, especially outside of similar species. It is morbid knowing that the thing is neither species but an incomplete combination of both.
Some mistakes caused by Gene therapy have sometimes left the patient even worse than if doctors did not try to fix the gene. Will trying to fix an X-linked severe immunity disorder, doctors managed to trigger leukaemia with the patients. The human genome is vast, we do not know what or how many genes each gene is related to. The domino effect could be short term or long term, after the incorrect genes have already been passed on to the next generation.
However the benefits provided by Germline Gene therapy and Gene therapy in general is more than enough reason to continue the experiments. Currently gene therapy is the closest method humans have of preventing malaria, a disease so dangerous it has killed half of all the humans that have lived. By monitoring what genes each individual has, I believe that we can use up less of the doctors time, giving them more time to specialise and study their branch of science.
The administration of the gene does not need to happen for everyone. By making the allele dominant, the correct gene will mask the incorrect allele, this way is would not matter if you were a carrier because the incorrect gene recessive. Using germline's hereditary factor, the less likelihood of an early death and the dominance of the correct gene people are more likely people will have the correct gene to pass on.
The idea of changing humans to cure chronic or lethal diseases is the right direction for humanity to go. Yet the line must be draw for scientists to know when to stop and that they're going too fast.