Planning My Post about Gene Therapy

DNA holds the secrets to our genetic make-up

My main topic is on the current government policies and regulations surrounding gene-based medical treatments and their societal implications. The main relevance of this topic is how it will affect patient treatment options in the future. This is particularly important for parents when deciding children’s treatments or executors of estates when determining treatments for the elderly or those who are incapable of deciding for themselves. This is a complex multi-faceted issue that is affected by government regulation, research ethics, pharmaceutical markets, and many other things, so I’m trying to focus on the policy and research aspects of the gene therapy and specifically what thing should be considered when moving forward in this field.

The current working thesis I have is “even though uninhibited research can be dangerous and lead to unethical experimentation, governments shouldn’t regulate gene-based treatments because they have the potential to be more effective than traditional medicine.” 

Historical

There are many historical components I can tie in with this topic. As of now, the enclosure movement has many obvious parallels. As bigger corporations encircle genetic treatment techniques through patents, it blocks out smaller more independent groups. However, housing it all under a bigger umbrella provides more resources for future advancement.

This also ties into the enlightenment value of rational progress. Historically, it can be highlighted that a rational look at nature led to a greater understanding of the world. Bacon also said that “knowledge of physical nature [gives us] power over it,” so as we understand the human genome, we will gain power over it.

Rhetorical Component

Rhetorically, gene therapy does try the idea of pluralism. Pluralism advocates that people coexist in society despite their differences and argues we will be better because of it. In a similar way, nobody has the same DNA. For that reason, if we can learn to treat people individually despite their genetic differences instead of forcing a generalized approach based on pharmaceutical drugs, we could become healthier and be better off because of it.

Personal Connection

Including a personal connection feels difficult right now. I think generalized questions about the health of loved ones could engage people but would be too general and not as gripping. However, I also feel like it would be sappy or cliché to bring up the health issues in my own family that could be benefitted by gene therapy. The issue I’m having with the personal connection is that I want it to resonate with readers without being over the top, and I want it to provide a launch point for others to open up and converse. I'm not sure how to find that sweet spot between inviting dialogue and being genuinely personable.

Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated!