However, none of these conditions have been cured yet by gene therapy. The most promising use of gene therapy will be to treat single gene defects that cause significant disabilities and cannot be treated by any other method. The current approaches to gene therapy cannot be used to treat some chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. The reason for this is that though it is known that an extra chromosome 21 causes Down syndrome, scientists have not yet identified the specific number and location of the genes involved. As with any type of medical treatment, human gene therapy does have its risks.
Gene therapy raises ethical issues in regards to the quality of life of people with disabilities.
Some people with disabilities have communicated that their disabilities are not diseases and, therefore, should not be treated. These people believe that advocating for a cure indicates that their lives do not have value just because they are disabled. The results were very supportive of the use of gene therapy. This is a term that is used to describe selective breeding of people with more desirable traits. In the early 1900's, individuals with mental retardation, mental illnesses, alcohol addiction, and epilepsy were forced to be sterilized in the hopes of eliminating future generations with these conditions.