Every day, newspapers and television news programs present stories on the latest controversies over healthcare and medical advances, but they do not have the space to provide detailed background on the issues. Websites and weblogs provide information from activists and partisans intent on presenting their side of a story. But where can students - or even ordinary citizens - go to obtain unbiased, detailed background on the medical issues affecting their daily lives? This volume in the Health and Medical Issues Today series provides readers and researchers a balanced, in-depth introduction to the medical, scientific, legal, and cultural issues surrounding gene therapy and its import in today's world of healthcare. Gene Therapy is organized to provide researchers with easy access to the information they need. Section 1 provides overview chapters on the background information needed to intelligently understand the issues and controversies surrounding gene therapy, such as the history of theories of the gene and recent developments in clinical trials. Section 2 offers capsule examinations of the contemporary issues and debates that provoke the most heated disagreements and misunderstandings, such as whether or not humans should tinker with genetic material and who pays for genetic therapies. Section 3 includes reference material on stem cells, including primary source documents from important players in the struggle over gene therapy, a timeline of important events, and an annotated bibliography of useful print and electronic resources. This volume in the Health and Medical Issues Today series provides everything a student requires to understand the issues involved in gene therapy and provides a springboard for further research into the issue.