Gene Therapy Ethics

There exist numerous questions about gene therapy ethics - all of which have made 'it' one of the most popular issues of the debating table. More importantly, this time around even the scientists seem to be divided over its pros and cons. Those in favor of gene therapy have put in a great deal of efforts to convince the world about its importance. The critics, however, seem to be least impressed, as they continue to question the practice.

Gene Therapy: An Overview

The term gene therapy refers to a medical procedure wherein normal or genetically altered genes are inserted into the cells to replace the defective genes. Even though it is more often used for the treatment of various genetic disorders, its use for other purposes cannot be ruled out.

In a broad sense, gene therapy is categorized into two types:

• Germ line gene therapy wherein the sperm or eggs are modified by inserting functional genes.
• Somatic gene therapy wherein therapeutic genes are transferred into the somatic cells of the person.

Even though human gene therapy is slowly making a mark in the field of medicine, it is still in its infancy stage and a lot more needs to be done before we resort to it as a convincing alternative.

Human Gene Therapy Ethics

Basically, the ethics of human gene therapy revolve around some unanswered questions about the concept and some moral norms of the society. A rationalist may ask - is it ethical to use gene therapy on humans without being well versed with a large number of side effects, including death of the person, associated with it? A believer, on the other hand, will ask - is it ethical to play god and go against the supreme entity? Though the latter may sound a bit absurd, it is one of the most popular question when it comes to controversial issues such as gene therapy, capital punishment etc. There is no means by which one can distinguish between good use and bad use of gene therapy, so how does one decide whether its use is really ethical or not? If all human beings resort to this medium to ameliorate basic human traits such as intelligence or athletic ability, i.e. everybody becomes as intelligent as Albert Einstein or as athletic as Usain Bolt, won't these characteristic traits become irrelevant when it comes to merit.

A look at the 139 gene therapy trials recorded with the National Institute of Health (NIH) reveals that this therapy is more often given to people with terminal illnesses, such as gene therapy for cancer. However, this list also highlights the fact that gene therapy has also been tried on people with less serious conditions which can be controlled by other therapies. The question which needs to be asked here is whether it is necessary to resort to this practice - which is still in its infancy stage, when there do exist other alternatives which are much less risky? This is just one of the numerous questions that the critics ask. Many people well versed with human genetics argue that the use of gene therapy is justified to some extent when it comes to medicine, but who is the authority to decide the 'extent' to which it can be used as a medicine? Can a person's inability to run fast be considered a disorder which can be treated by gene therapy?

Some questions related to the ethics of gene therapy also revolve around the fact that it is very costly. Critics are afraid that even if it is developed to its full potential, the high cost incurred on it will only restrict its use to the rich people. Will that be a fair deal? Won't it be a bias against the poor people who aspire a better life, but don't have enough money to deal with various health problems? At the same time, widespread us of this therapy will also spell disaster for the society. On one hand those people who are different genetically will not be accepted by the masses if they are in minority, on the other if they are in majority they will look upon other normal people with disdain. Will that be acceptable in a society wherein we already have a long list of divisive forces on rampage?

Gene therapy has become one of the most popular topics of debate in recent times. There is no doubt about the fact that all parents aspire to see their children excel in academics and sports, but is the concept of designer babies answer to their aspirations. Doesn't this resemble Adolf Hitler's ambition of creating a superior race?