The acceptance of Genetic Therapy in the American society Essay

The acceptance of Genetic Therapy in the American society - Essay Example The manipulations of the creative chemical of life, DNA, inspires both wonder and fear in the human heart and mind and has created countless controversies in its application to combat disease. Genetic therapy is the alteration, removal, or insertion of genes in order to treat an illness. This definition is taken from the Washington Times article by, Marilynn, Marchione. This method uses a technique discovered by researchers to find and then correct the defective genes that are cause of the disease. This scientific marvel raised many questions, both in the scientific community and the public, each having various interpretations and viewpoints on the subject of genetic therapy. Some people depend on these experiments to improve their lives while others deem scientists as playing God. On the other hand some can see both side of the spectrum. Introduction (Positive) Those people suffering from a disease most often will have a positive and optimistic outlook regarding the promising resear ch involving genetic therapy. Curing a life threatening disease like AIDS, or repairing vision loss that severely impacts your quality of life can bring about an new and hopeful world for those who are suffering. This would be a world where one would not have to worry about suffering or even their longevity; they could just live carefree. This may seem like a pipe- dream, but the good news is that every day we are coming close to making it a reality. This remarkable new therapy was brought to light from and the case of an AIDS patient who seemed to recover from the disease after receiving a blood transfusion from a donor, who apparently had a natural immunity to HIV. Therefore it was theorized that the donor cells combated the virus. Regarding article reporting this same case, during a Boston conference Dr. John Zaia, was quoted after the announcement of their scientific breakthrough saying. â€Å"For the first time, people are beginning to think about a cure†. This was uplif ting news for the entire world because many people had died from AIDS. Thinking that a virus that killed millions can one day be treated as if it were a common cold truly shows the advancement and growth science and medicine This article further states, â€Å"Scientist used genetic engineering in six patients to develop blood cells that are resistant to HIV.† However, even though the gene therapy has shown very promising results, one must not celebrate too soon as this research is still in experimental stages, and it is still far too early to declare this method as an absolute cure. Gene therapy offers various possilbe benefits, and discovering a cure for HIV is perhaps only the beginning. For the first time in history researchers are using this new therapy to improve the vision in patients who were almost blind. According to The Seattle Times writer, Thomas H. Maugh, â€Å"this discovery brings hope to thousands with inherited forms of vision impairment in the field of reti nal dystrophies.† Previously, cataract surgery along with medication and corrective lenses were used to cure vision impairment. Additionally, doctors have not been able to restore vision due to hereditary degenerative disease to restore their patients sight. Now with the use of gene therapy scientists are able to take these defective genes and replace them with strong healthy ones in order to cure an ailment. Similar to the Aids case article previously mentioned an