Gene Therapy Claim

Gene therapy has its "fantasized" elements of creating a world where illnesses could be cured by simply inserting a gene that combats against it. Like anything regarding our complex human bodies, there is a long process of trial and error that needs to happen before gene therapy can be open to the public. This however, comes to the expense of human lives. How many human lives would have to be sacrificed to achieve this, so far unproven, "impossible" task? While gene therapy could spare future generations within a family from having a particular genetic disorder, it might affect the development of a fetus in unexpected ways or have long-term side effects that are not yet known. Current gene therapy research has focused on treating individuals by targeting the therapy to body cells such as bone marrow or blood cells. This type of gene therapy cannot be passed on to a person’s children. However one branch of therapy targets egg and sperm cells which would allow the inserted gene to be passed on to future generations, this approach is known as germline gene therapy. This is controversial however, because the person being affected by germline gene therapy is not yet born so it couldn't choose whether to have the treatment. Consequently, the U.S. government has acted regarding these ethical concerns and has placed a ban that does not allow federal funds to to use for research on germline gene therapy, according to Genetics Home Reference. How many human lives would have to be sacrificed to achieve this, so far unproven, "impossible" task?