The possible prevention of a disease or enhancing a trait is not worth potentially harming or ruining your child’s life. Around 95% of all gene therapy process results in failures, including disorders, gene mutations or even death (Bohlin). In other words, there is a less than 5% chance that the child will receive the positive, intended results. With these success rates it’s important to ask if it’s worth the chance of doing permanent damage to a child who didn’t even have a say in this process. If the parents chose not to have the procedures done, then there are plenty of other solutions out there. It’s important to make sure that the people are aware of this. In fact, the majority of doctors and scientists encourage for parents to see if
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Many people have found that children who have had gene therapy performed are extremely cautious and timid throughout life due to the fear that their disease will come back (Simmons). Despite the perk of being disease free, the majority of people does not want to have to go through life living in fear. Often times doctors recommend that the child just goes through life normally, taking the chance of developing the disease or not developing it (Simmons). People want to be able to enjoy life and feel normal. Knowing that a disease was once present in the child could make him/her not feel normal, which could severely damage a child psychologically. All children really want is to be accepted by their peers and family, and to feel normal. Sadly, many children do not receive approval from the parents if the gene therapy did not work, so the child does not possess the physical trait that was desired (Simmons). Without the approval of his/her parents, the child will once again suffer from many psychological problems due to feeling unloved or unwanted. Maybe the child will even try to ‘fix the bad gene’ by trying to make the changes without the aid of a doctor by cutting their hair, working out to extremities, etc. However, if the gene therapy does work, then the self-concept could become so high that she/he begins to think down on the other people. People may not think this is a problem psychologically, but a person shouldn’t think so highly of himself that they begin to think down on other people. It’s important to make sure that the child still maintains a normal self-concept no matter what the results are of the gene
Many people have found that children who have had gene therapy performed are extremely cautious and timid throughout life due to the fear that their disease will come back (Simmons). Despite the perk of being disease free, the majority of people does not want to have to go through life living in fear. Often times doctors recommend that the child just goes through life normally, taking the chance of developing the disease or not developing it (Simmons). People want to be able to enjoy life and feel normal. Knowing that a disease was once present in the child could make him/her not feel normal, which could severely damage a child psychologically. All children really want is to be accepted by their peers and family, and to feel normal. Sadly, many children do not receive approval from the parents if the gene therapy did not work, so the child does not possess the physical trait that was desired (Simmons). Without the approval of his/her parents, the child will once again suffer from many psychological problems due to feeling unloved or unwanted. Maybe the child will even try to ‘fix the bad gene’ by trying to make the changes without the aid of a doctor by cutting their hair, working out to extremities, etc. However, if the gene therapy does work, then the self-concept could become so high that she/he begins to think down on the other people. People may not think this is a problem psychologically, but a person shouldn’t think so highly of himself that they begin to think down on other people. It’s important to make sure that the child still maintains a normal self-concept no matter what the results are of the gene