What are your thoughts on Gene therapy?

Doe's it go against your belief's?

For example the Mayo clinic has been working hard and making new advances in gene therapy in their cancer research, and alzheimer's patients.

But where do we draw the line? With these advances in gene therapy we could ultimately alter genes within human eggs and sperm to change the eye color of a future child or attempt to enhance intelligence.

What do you think? Are we playing God?

I personally would love to see a cure for cancer.

Genomics is the future of many cures. Keep your eye on the TGEN projects in Phoenix.

That is really a tough one, there has to be some very fine guidelines, and policing, but we need to do what is needed for the benefit of mankind.

You want to see where this is all headed, watch the movie "Gattaca".

JUMPIN' JESUS ON A POGO STICK!

Can gene therapy give me superpowers? If so, then Im for it

Like any advancement in science - the scale of it's potential value must be examined in line with it's potential for evil. Like splitting the atom. It's potential for providing a resource for power is immeasurable - but so too is it's potential for destruction. Hopefully - this new science will provide man with new solutions to the ever increasing problems with disease and viruses - and not present us with some of the nightmares that "The Outer Limits" seems to be so adept at pointing out.

It is hard!

How can we say NO to altering genes for improved intelligence, or physical appearances/ athleticism?

But YES to altering genes to prevent and treat diseases?

Either way aren't we are intervening that person's "natural course" or God's will?

If it was God's will that people be sick, then Jesus wouldn't have healed the people he ministered to. I believe that while ethics must be involved in science, I believe that God gave mankind the ability to understand the universe so that we could lead better lives. Gene therapy to give us perfect eyesight and perfect teeth...who wouldn't want that? Stronger, faster, smart? Yes, please. Eliminating black people from the world? Nope. Manipulate the genes of children without their parents permission? Nope. Manipulate genes to make people more docile? Nope. If we apply ethics and are careful to proceed ethically, gene therapy could mean a whole new world for humans.

gene therapy, as an added assurance by example of blocking cataracts, can be beneficial for the quality of life experienced by our children.

The ethical use of stop gapping degenerative genetic triggers inherited from the parents is a sound use of genetic therapy.

The unethical use of gene therapy MAY be evident in anything but such intervention, but the benefits to cancer patients MAY also be ethical from the standpoint of eradicating the menace that cancer represents due its increased prevalance evidenced by environmental risks imposed on one's health and well being by mankind's use of inventive approaches to improving natural yields to the food supply.

Careful use of gene therapy must have some accountable oversight rendered as due by independent review. That is the greater dilemma, in my opinion.

Learning more about environmental influences contributing to the problems faced and the solutions sought for those same problems should be part and parcel to the understanding of knowledge that may lead to gene therapy as a "prong of the fork" utilized as a remedial tool. Hopefully, manipulation of genes will not remain the isolated assumption of all of the research and development of therapies.

Therapies, after all, are not a cure.

Nor are therapies anything more than resistance to degenerative complications suffered upon wellness and good health.

Mankind has been 'playing God' for quite some time now. Gene therapy is just another technology.

No one seems to have a problem with doctors cutting people open to removed an inflamed appendix, or a malignant tumor. Yet that is just as 'unnatural'. We used to vaccinate people against Small Pox, Polio, even the flu. We have no problem implanting a pace-maker to keep someone's heart beating, or putting them on drugs for the same purpose.

How can you say when we are intervening with a person's "natural course" or God's will? I'm assuming that you're talking about the biblical God. Cleary it doesn't mention anything about these things in the Bible. So what are we supposed to do? Guess what God's will might be?

Why do you draw the line at Gene therapy? What about cesarean births? That's most certainly "unnatural" intervention by man. Should we just let those mothers and babies die from complications instead?

What about facial reconstructions of babies that are born with serious deformities? Should we stop doing that? Where's the line? Where do we draw the line? Why draw it at Gene therapy?

And you're right, where do we draw the line between treating "disease" and natural "deformities" and merely helping to modify imperfect bodies? Again, where's the line between mere imperfection and a serious deformity. Who decides where that line is?

How stupid does a person need to be before we consider them to be "abnormally" stupid enough to classify them as being "diseased".

Who are we to tell other people how far they should go with their medical "intervention" on nature.

I actually have a fatigue problem myself. Without a doubt my fatigue is extremely "abnormal" enough to be classified by doctors to be a 'disease'. Yet, they have no cure for it. They say my HDL levels are abnormally low and there is no known treatment. However, I recently read an article that says that Gene therapy may soon be able to help people who have abnormally low levels of HDL. They can inject genes that will cause blood to create more HDL. Gene therapy seems to be the only potential solution to this problem.

The funny things is that if I could take a pill to make me all better, you wouldn't have a problem with that. But if I have to be injected with Genes then you have a problem.

Why should the mechanism of natural intervention change the morality of it?

I can see what you are saying about people wanting to have "Designer Children". That does sound like it could be problematic. However, we've already been tampering with natural selection for quite some time. C-sections of course is one example, we are helping people to procreate who might not 'naturally' be able to. We are also keeping people alive who have genetically transferable diseases thus allowing them to pass on their genetically transferable "bad genes".

The process of "Natural Selection" is already over. Man is already intervening in that process, and has been intervening for quite some time. We are helping many people to live and procreate who could not "naturally" procreate. So we've already been "Playing God" for quite some time.

This isn't something that is new with Gene Therapy.

Moreover, if the biblical God is the true God of the universe, he's way overdue for writing a new book. Clearly his old book does not even address these kinds of questions at all. If we have to start guessing what God might, or might not, approve of, then the doctrine becomes totally meaningless.

Clearly the Bible cannot possible answer these question since these technologies were not known when the books were written. From that perspective the question is meaningless for a religion that is based on such an antiquated doctrine. That doctrine simply can't answer these kinds of questions. The Biblical picture of God is so far out of date that it's meaningless in today's world. That's just a fact of life.

"Clearly the Bible cannot possible answer these question since these technologies were not known when the books were written. From that perspective the question is meaningless for a religion that is based on such an antiquated doctrine. That doctrine simply can't answer these kinds of questions. The Biblical picture of God is so far out of date that it's meaningless in today's world. That's just a fact of life."
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I agree, abra, where medical science is concerned regarding pysical needs contributing to good health and wellness.

I also agree that the Bible is meaningless from a purely physical aspect.

But biblical truthes are found in Jesus Christ alone regarding the spiritual wholeness and good health and well being afforded man as man has been made by God.

Therein, belief is just a guess without the truth being known as offered.

To know the truth is to know Jesus and the Holy Spirit is given to be that truth in confirmation of Jesus' words being from God to man regarding man's eternal estate as intended and profferred by God.

But that is not relevant to the temporality of man in this physical realm, as you well suggest.

Myself, I believe in God...and I agree with what many replies. That Jesus would heal the ill and lame. There are extreme religious types that do not accept blood or surgeries and die knowing that they followed their beliefs. In my opinion, and this is what I believe...so please respect that, that the bible was written years before my time. Years before such medical advances were made. In my life, I apply what I have learned from the bible to interpet the changes in lifestyle today. I get treated by doctors when I am ill, but when the doctors come up short I put my faith in God.

As for gene therapy I would love to see this research treat cancer and alzheimers. I used to work in a nursing home and I would too often see live's taken too young by cancer or dementia. But as for better eyesight, perfect teeth...i think gene therapy could make a human's lifespan "unnaturally long" and how would this effect the other species we DO share this planet with. Not to sound callous...but why do we have hunting seasons on deer, bear, etc? To prevent disease and over population of a species. If natural selection no longer applies to humans what will prevent us from eating ourselves out of house and home? I mean with our never ending research will we eventually find the cure for death?

I read a lot of comic books so I understand the potential in gene therapy. Half the superheroes out there got their powers from gene therapy so it cant be such a bad thing.

And what does this post about your belief in Jesus have to do with the discussion of gene therapy?

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This thread rocks!

Yes we are playing God. Good for us.

That is the creative spark given to us by our creator.

We don't draw the line. We let science advance. We hope it does more good than damage, but there are always evil men who will steal the work of creative minds and scientists and doctors who discover and create these technologies are always at risk.

Pass laws against it and it will be funded secretly and by evil men who will use the technology to clone Hitler or Bush.

Just let science advance in the light of day where we can see it. Pass laws against it and it will hide in the shadows.

JB

Hazarding another guess is a belief of yours, JB.

You will have to frame the relevance of that assumption for yourself.

Well, isn't life support playing God? I say, if God gave us the capacity to do it, its alright. We could also use gene therapy to keep children from being born with defects and diseases.

My thoughts are that man's hunger for comprehension, in the 'outer' world, and 'inner' world of science will lead him a merry, and fascinating dance.

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Does it go against your belief's?

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No. I have no rigidity in deciding or judging what is 'right' or 'wrong'.


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But where do we draw the line? With these advances in gene therapy we could ultimately alter genes within human eggs and sperm to change the eye color of a future child or attempt to enhance intelligence.

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Hmmm... the line is drawn, I feel at corporate privatisation, and profit making.

Take out the financial gains made by companies, and it removes the commodity, and the consumerism side of things.

Keep it clinical, and with the objective of removing inherited faulty genes, that impact on the healthy development of a potentially productive human.

I feel as soon as governments have their agenda attached to gene therapy, we all go to the proverbial hell in a handbasket.

When it is used for manipulation uses, of an elitist society, or 'soldier' drones, we're completely perkucked... keep corporate sponsorship/profiteers, and politically motivated defense forces, and governments out of science... and then it is utilised for the power of good.

I would like to see cures for lots of things, Katie.