Social Ethical and Legal Implications of Using Gene Therapy to Treat Diseases and Disorders

The approaches include the replacement of a mutated genes that leads to diseases with a copy of a healthy gene. Moreover, they can inactivate or knock out genes that are not properly functioning due to mutations. Thirdly, they can bring in a new gene into the body, and this gene will help the patient fight the disease. Despite the advantages, the procedure is risky but being improved to enhance its effectiveness and safety (Misra, 2013). The researchers are involved in the determination of what is normal, as they ensure the new gene administered to a patient is well controlled by the body, to avoid any negative reactions. Therefore, through the use of gene therapy people feel that it is okay to use the procedure (Bruce, 2010).

However, when it comes to elimination traits in a person such as height in dwarfs, the color of the eye, an ethical issue exist in that the ethicist feel that gene therapy fir the enhancement of traits could lead to negative impact in the society for what people view as normal and therefore increase the discrimination toward those with the undesirable traits in the society (Misra, 2013). With the increase research, in future people will not tell between gene traits that are viewed to be disease and those classified as psychological, mental or physical traits. Therefore, disabilities and traits are not something that needs to be cured as they will affect the view of the general society on what is normal and what is undesirable in terms of the traits in human beings.