Arguments For
Somatic cell gene therapy receives widespread support, as it helps people who are very ill, and has limited risks. Germ line gene therapy is more controversial, so we will look at the arguments for and against germ line gene therapy.
- If a condition is inherited, your children and future generations might have it. By changing the germ line, you are curing the disease now, but also preventing it in future generations
- Doctors should do anything they can to help people who are sick
- Germ line gene therapy is only used when all other possibilities have failed - it is the only hope
- People claimed that blood transfusion was un-natural when it first came out, but now it happens all the time. Gene therapy will soon be like that - it's no different to other forms of treatment
- We can already use gene therapy in animals, and it works, so why not use it in humans?
- Gene therapy can save thousands of pounds that would have been used to treat a disorder - this money can be used to save lives
- Gene therapy saves lives directly, by curing people who would otherwise die
- As well as treating genetic disorders, gene therapy could cure other conditions, like cancer
