Genetic Engineering For example, imagine a couple sitting in a waiting room looking at a catalogue. This catalog is different from the usual; they choose specific traits to design the “perfect child.” This is called genetic modification, which involves altering an individual's genes to benefit a person's overall health, curing a disease or improving human genes. In discussions about genetic engineering, a controversial question is whether our society should recognize therapeutic or enhancement treatments. However, my opinion is that genetic engineering should be used mainly to cure diseases rather than to improve a person's physical characteristics, which can ultimately destroy human diversity or cause long-term effects that still remain in a certain measure unknown. Those unfamiliar with genetic engineering may be interested in learning about its medical uses, such as eliminating cancer cells or exterminating hereditary problems. Therapeutic treatment procedures have shown improvements in an individual's overall health and lifespan. For example, a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine demonstrated that cancer cells can be treated with gene therapy. They took five patients with incurable cancer diseases, in which they injected genetic material into the patient's white blood cells. Eventually, white blood cells were genetically modified to attack tumor cells and thus slow the spread of cancer (Clark). Successful trials like these marked the beginning of a revolutionized medical science with the aim of curing genetic diseases and disorders. Take for example the story of Heather Smith, who passed on to her two children a recessive gene, which coded for a rare sex-linked primary immunity...... half of the document ......igenweb/patient_family/cancer_genetics. htm. June 30, 2014."Simply Science." Is genetic modification to create designer babies unethical or a novel concept? July 3, 2014. http://simplysciencemad.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-genetic-modification-to-create.html"21st Century Enhancements." Kennedy Institute of Ethics. Web. July 18, 2014."Mental health medications." NIMH RSS. Web. July 18, 2014. Hayes, Richard. "Genetically modified humans? No thanks." Washington Post. The Washington Post, April 15, 2008. Web. July 18, 2014. .Hollenberg, Katie. “Respect For Persons As A Guide To Genetic Enhancement.” . Np, nd Web. 18 July 2014. . Guilbeert, Scott Developmental Biology: University of Helsinki and Swarthmore College, 2013. Print.