Designer Babies Essay

Designer babies would be okay if they were strictly used to prevent serious disease instead of having this procedure done even though their child doesn't have medical conditions. People are misusing this benefit of preventing disease. Designer babies overall need to be banned because the baby losses total value of individuality, they create a huge gap in society and it can cause termination of the embryos.

There have been technological advancements in the recent years, and the majority of countries in the world has witnessed this. One of the most interesting advancements in the biomedical sector has been the invention of designer babies. Designer babies refer to a wide range of reproductive techniques such as replacing versions of genes linked to certain diseases and enhancing certain attributes in a baby. These adjustments, however, are not ethically right since God’s work is termed to be perfect.

We are living is a world where very soon it will be possible for people to create ‘designer babies’ that have all the features they wish for. In the article Building Baby from the Genes Up, Ronald M. Green talks about all the positive impacts that genetic modification of human beings can have on our future generations. Green acknowledges some of the negatives such as parents creating perfect children and being able to give them any trait the parent wants. However in the end he comes to the conclusion that the positive impacts of getting rid of genes that cause obesity, cancer, learning disorders, and many other diseases and disorders, outweighs the negative aspects. Richard Hayes, author of Genetically Modified Humans? No Thanks, takes the stance that we should not be able to change anything about human beings through genetic modification. He believes that once we start modifying a few features, it will slowly turn into every parent altering as many of their babies’ genes that they want. While he does acknowledge the positive impacts of getting rid of negative genes such as Tay-Sachs, he believes that it is not worth the risk of having parents manipulate all their future children’s genes to their liking. Green and Hayes stand on opposite sides of the debate about genetic modification of human beings and this essay will explore the similarities and the differences of their articles.

Designer babies are embryos that have genetically modified chosen by parents or science. “The perfect child” so to say. They pick their desired traits for the child so they can have the child they’ve always wanted. In this process they first screen the embryo to see if there are any genetic defects that were conceived through fertilization. There is nothing new about the designer babies 1989 and born in 1990. This is not new technology. You can change anything from gender, appearance, intelligence, disease, and personality. A few of the pros could be things like reduce risk of genetic diseases, reduces risk of inherited medical conditions, better chance the child will succeed with life, increased life span, and can give child genes that that the parents do not carry. Those are just a few. Designer babies can be used for even spare parts such as, hearts, liver, kidney, etc. That is not right in my opinion. They can be used for many things. Designer babies are believe it or not very expensive. With the creation of these babies there had to be the first designer baby made. The first designer baby was created in the U.S. in 2000. Doctors used screening techniques to test the embryos of Lisa and Jack Nash. They chose the embryos that would be an exact cell match to their daughter Molly. Their daughter, Molly, suffers from a genetic disorder called Fanconi Anemia which causes bone marrow

Although this may be the case in many areas of people’s lives today, it is not always beneficial, or necessary. People may have trouble deciding whether messing with human genes and cells is ethical. Designing the “perfect child” in many parent’s eyes becomes a harsh question of reality. The concept of a parent’s unconditional love for their child is questioned because of the desire to make their child perfect. If genetically engineering humans becomes a dominant medical option, people could have the chance to create their child however they like: from physical appearances, genetically enhanced genes, and the possibility to decide what a child thinks and acts, parents have access to designing their entire child. Naturally, people could be creating a super-human. Issues between different races, and eventually creating new prejudices against genetically engineered humans may increase. People may not realize how expensive genetic screening is at first. With only the rich being able to “enhance” their children, another social issue might occur, giving the world another type of people to outcast.

For many people, the term “designer babies” sounds like something that could only exist in the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. But, science has now advanced to the point where faulty genes can now be singled out, discarded, and replaced with more favorable ones. Just like the 16,012 babies manufactured in the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre in Brave New World, human embryos can be selected for fertilization based on their genes. This is done through the processes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This involves removing mature egg cells from a woman and fertilizing it with male sperm outside of the body. The embryos are then analyzed for abnormalities and mutations in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The healthiest embryos are then implanted back into the woman’s uterus for regular gestation (Yount). The development of these techniques originated from the Human Genome Project initiated by the United States government in 1988 (Siegel-Itzkovich). Although established initially with the purpose of selecting healthy embryos free of disease, the same techniques can be applied to select genes that code for traits such as intelligence, strength, and beauty. IVF and PGD are useful techniques but should only be used for medical purposes, not for selecting the embryos of perfect children.

What if there was a future where having a child was as simple as selecting desirable genes out of a catalogue? A future where technology granted parents the ability to design and perfect their children. The notion of “Designer Babies” seems absurd; however the rapid development of technology and the potential of gene manipulation could make this a startling reality.

The escalating supremacy and receptiveness of genetic technology to engineer and "design babies," now gives parents the option to modify their unborn children, consecutively to prevent their offspring's from receiving genetic disorders such as: "sickle cell diseases, cystic fibrosis and down syndrome ," or conceivably, make them blue eye coloured, intelligent or else blessed with enviable qualities. Would this mean there will be an increase in the superiority among the rich, both physically and mentally, or will this modification be available for all to exploit, or would we be evidencing engineered babies facing unexpected genetic predicament? The highly contentious issue of designing unborn children to be a perfect "epitome" is thoroughly investigated and examined in the article of, lead author of

Why are humans stuck how they are? Why do some have lethal flaws? Why do theses flaws exist? The correct answer is they don’t have to: Human genetic engineering can solve some of theses lethal issues now and can solve more in the future. It can help the next generation experience what everyone strives to achieve. Human genetic engineering research should continue because it can save people's lives, improve human’s lives and improve the lives of the next generation of children.

The thought of genetically modified humans sounds like an idea out of a novel of science fiction. Yet, genetic engineering is all around us. Designer babies is a controversial topic amongst the scientific community, religious groups, and the general public. One side of the argument is all in favor and wants more prevalent genetic modification of babies. The other side of the argument is against genetic modification of babies and believes it is immoral and unethical.

Humans have been able to genetically modify crops, food, and animals over the years with many regulations. Now, they are able to genetically select/modify babies with the rapidly advancing technology that is available. Until recently, parents did not have the option to choose how their child will look and the many genetic features that their child must have. Genetically modified babies (GMB) are commonly referred to as designer babies. Designer babies’ genetic makeup is “selected in order to eradicate a particular defect or to ensure that a particular gene is present” (Catalano, 2012). Although the purpose for genetically modifying the fetus is to eradicate diseases many nowadays use it to alter physical genes such as eye color and hair color which is an abuse of the technology. This has caused a debates regarding whether or not GMBs are ethical and if the United

Imagine a world where diseases, bad behaviors, flaws can be screened out. Instead, choosing babies physical appearance, certain traits that contribute to how the child turns out, becomes the norm – imagine the designer baby. With the rapid advancement of technology, the chance of designer babies coming to reality is increasing every day. “Designer babies”, an interesting, yet, very controversial subject in the science field. A more scientific term for this is “genetically engineered babies (GEB)”, infants who certain traits are chosen through a variety of scientific methods. In the United States, GEB has been used to prevent and detect medical conditions such as Down’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and different types of cancers (Alleyne, 2012). However, when it comes to using it for aesthetic traits that parents want their children to have, it’s a completely different story.

Within the last 100 years or so scientists have many valuable discoveries that have benefited mankind. These discoveries include the discovery of genes. Scientists have discovered what makes humans so unique from one another. However, with this newly gained knowledge of the function of genes comes the ability to alter or change them. Just imagine in the not so near future, you and your partner want to start a family together. You travel to your local gene councillor to pick the physical and characteristic traits of your child. That’s right. With the knowledge that has been gained about genes, scientists can “create” the perfect child genetically. The thought is scary. Nature has always taken us down the right path but are we really ready

Should parent be allowed to genetically engineer their children? : The ethical dilemma of designer babies.

on this child for the rest of his life, but I am left thinking that