Tom Bethell

In the following viewpoint, Tom Bethell claims that scientific and mainstream media are overstating the benefits of gene therapy. He asserts that despite the claims of many articles, little is known about the human genome. Bethell also maintains that gene therapy will likely not cure either heritable or nonheritable diseases and that the beneficiaries of genome discoveries will be biotechnology companies, not patients. Bethell is the senior editor of the American Spectator.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to estimates cited by Bethell, what is the number of human genes?
2. Why does gene therapy fail to cure diseases such as sickle cell anemia and muscular dystrophy, as stated by Bethell?
3. What does the author claim is the “permanent tendency of medical science”"

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