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Down Syndrome Persuasive Essay

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My purpose in this essay is to argue for or against the idea that one day we’ll have a cure for Down syndrome, specifically in twenty years’ time. Down syndrome, first fully described by John Langdon Down in 1888 (also known as Trisomy 21) is a genetic disease/disorder caused by a third copy of the chromosome 21. Chromosomes are thread like structures found in the nucleus of plant and animal cells; they dictate how the creature or human will develop. The third copy of chromosome 21 effects the person’s physical appearance, growth and intellectual abilities. Research from Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, says that approximately 1 child out of 691 births in a America will be born with Down Syndrome (CDC, 2012). Researchers know little …show more content…

Biological science is rapidly advancing, and has been doing so for years, but we have still not seen a safe or proper cure be presented. Scientists have been experimenting with gene therapy and have found a compound that reverses down syndromes learning/mental effects, but has only been used for experimenting on mice and only on the day of the mice’s birth. They believe that the compound helps boost the brain size, which interests the Down syndrome association as this could make people with the disorder be able to learn to the capabilities of someone without it. And while social issues are not of my concern, a lot of the general public would have issues with this. This will stunt progress if any is made for the disease, because people believe we shouldn’t ‘play god’. This and the lack of outbreaks will most definitely be a barrier in the ways of curing it within 20 years. Conclusion: With this knowledge, I completely disagree with the Idea that within 20 years Down syndrome will be a curable disease. Perhaps we may see drugs that will tone down the effects, and even if, I hardly see the public being offered such a thing at a low

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