If we discover living or dormant organisms on Mars and these forms represent a different type of life than the life we have on Earth, then we should not bring life from Earth to Mars. Instead we should alter the martian environment so that this native martian life can expand to fill a planetary scale biosphere. There is general agreement within the Mars research community that if Mars is indeed a lifeless planet then there is potential scientific, cultural, and human value in bringing life from Earth to Mars. The re-creation of habitable conditions on Mars is within our technological reach. To a Mars long since dead, Earth could give the gift of its genome: a biological heritage encapsulating billions of years of evolution. For Mars this would represent a jump start back into a biological future.