Vectors to correct the single base error associated with hemophilia are under development now. The extent to which similar vectors can be developed to cure the ailments of mankind is virtually limitless. With the development of gene chips, potentially capable of screening an entire genome in less than a day, it may be possible very soon to screen and cure any of these possible defects even before the individual is born. There is also a great potential for misuse of the genetic information revealed by the Human Genome Project. A great challenge to modern day thinkers is first to determine what would constitute a misuse of the information.
Opinions tend to differ greatly.
Others find nothing wrong with changing the color of your unborn child's eyes on a whim. Are we eliminating the triumph of the human spirit by destroying the very hardships and challenges necessary to foster it's development. Society appears to be quite unprepared to provide answers these questions. The science of movies and novels has led us to believe the hardest philosophical decisions made in the twenty-first century would be what color the hover car should be. Now that the power of altering our very genes is approaching our grasp, we must ask if our hearts are prepared to go where our minds are rapidly taking us.