by Laura Howard

Created on: February 16, 2007   Last Updated: May 02, 2007

Engineering and therapy. Both very normal, harmless words with normal meanings. However, put the word "Genetic, or Gene" in front of them, then they become controversial. Genetic Engineering (GE) and Gene Therapy (GT) have caused a colossal outburst from a cross section of society in the past few decades. It is impossible to ignore. Why is it so controversial? Is it worth the risk and effort? Are we an improved species with it, or are we better off without it? There are many answers to these questions. A specific branch of GE, Gene Therapy, has countless ethical implications. The aim of this essay is to examine and evaluate the ethical, religious, and medical implications of gene therapy, and come to a valid conclusion.

To develop opinions on gene therapy, it is important to know and understand the composition of genetic engineering in it's most basic form. What is genetic engineering? A formal definition describes genetic engineering as "the method of changing the inherited characteristics of an organism in a predetermined way by altering its genetic material." (Microsoft Encarta 2006) The act of changing the genetic material of an organism has caused debate within many sections of society. People are either for GE, against it, or do not understand it/do not care. People involved in the argument on genetic engineering/gene therapy argue about whether it is beneficial to the human race, the animal kingdom, and the plant world. Gene Therapy, on the other hand, causes more human ethical issues. It is still an experimental science, and many people do not understand it.

Gene Therapy involves supplying a healthy, working gene to cells that either do not work properly, or do not work at all. The aim of gene therapy is to repair a genetic disorder or acquired disease. Gene Therapy can be generalised into two categories. The first is the alteration of germ cells, that is, sperm or eggs. This form of gene therapy has more ethical and literal implications as it permanently alters the genetic material of the whole organism, and it's subsequent generations. This "germ line gene therapy" is considered to be unethical in human beings, simply because it interferes with the natural order of things. The second type of gene therapy is named "somatic cell gene therapy". It is akin to an organ transplant. One or more specific tissues are targeted by direct treatment or by removal of the tissue, addition of the therapeutic gene or genes in the laboratory, and return of the treated

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