Positives and Negatives

Positives                                                     
Negatives
·         Many countries have been approved for trials in human gene therapy including USA, China, France, Italy, and the Netherlands
·         The public’s opinion impacts the influence on whether the trials get approved or not
·         52% of the USA said it was acceptable to perform gene therapy
·         It can wipe out genetic disease before they can begin and reduce suffering for future generations
·         Gene therapy is a 'medicine" for the future since it can control or get rid of hereditary diseases
·         People suffering from genetic disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease are some of those whose only hope for cure is gene therapy.



               
·         Some people think we will have to pay the price trying to play “God”
·         gene therapy may be used for the enhancement or change of human capabilities
·         this form of treatment be a luxury only for the rich which could very well make the rich, richer and make the poor, poorer
·         All gene therapy experiments must receive approval from the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After approval by these committees the trials must also receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (National Cancer Institute,1993)
·         74% of the Japanese thought that gene therapy was unacceptable
·          42% of the USA said that changing genetic makeup was wrong
·         In Japan and New Zealand, 63 % of the people suggested that gene therapy was a form of playing God.
·         Gene therapy could possibly be only for the rich and not the poor
·         Gene therapy will be used to create a superior race
·         no guarantee that the viral enzyme à responsible for this step will be able to introduce the correct gene at the specific point in the host chromosome
·         Error in the genetic makeup of the cell and can result in serious disorders.