138 Lewis D. Solomon

change, for I do not see any reason why it should be permissible to cure a disease in one particular fetus and not in that fetus’s future offspring as well. On the contrary, since sickness is degrading, it would be our duty to cure the disease at its root if we could so that future generations will not be affected.”’® One Reform responsum concludes:“We may be ready to accept genetic changes made for medical purposes and experimentation as[pikuah nefesh] an overriding consideration”!

In short, if safe and effective, it would be hard to imagine any Jewish opposition to therapeutic genetic engineering.'® The Jewish tradition would allow humans to use this technique to prevent disease and disability. The next generation and those that follow would prefer health to disease or disability. With safe and effective germline genetic engineering, laboratory conception will become ever more prevalent, if not mandatory.

THERAPEUTIC GENETIC ENGINEERING AND THE EXTENSION OF LIFE

Therapeutic genetic engineering, whether of the somatic or germline variety, offers the promise of extending the maximum human life span, doubling it to 150 to 200 years, by curing major genetically based diseases and possibly tackling and arresting the aging process and curbing the indignity of bodily and/or mental deterioration. The longevity barrier, now about 120 years, may be torn down as we learn more about the genetic mechanism of cell aging and perfect intervention strategies, including genetic therapy, stem cell technologies to provide a nearly indefinite supply of replacement tissues and organs, and hormones(and other pharmacological means) to restore and enhance bodily vigor.” It may be possible to extend human life to perhaps 200 years, with the mind and body intact, preserving one’s youthful appearance and strength, and warding off disease consistent with a relatively high quality of life and functional level until the end of one’s life span. Individuals may have six careers,