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Alexis Wolf Professor Julia Gousseva October 29th 2017 Critical Reading 112 Are designer babies the future? Just think about it, designing the traits of your future child to look specifically however you want. The article “The Life Editor” by Michael Page discusses the idea of scientifically modifying genes and the possibilities the methods of gene editing can hold. Page describes the new innovation called CRISPR gene editing.
Human eugenics has become a popular technology in the biology world of reproduction. The idea of conserving the superior traits and deleting the tainted traits has become an exciting movement where even novels like Brave New World has predicted us with the dramatic future of eugenics. Although the idea of deleting tainted traits such as disease seem ideal, the fear of creating “perfect” traits will create dominance from the upper class and will strip individualism. John H. Evan talks about the pros and cons of human eugenics in his article. Inspired by the novel Brave New World, Evans first introduces the idea of class separation between the selected designed babies.
Designer babies have been the debate for a few years now, placed upon a shaky moral platform. With human science pushing the boundaries of human genetics further and further, many are questioning if designer babies have finally crossed the line in science. The problem is that people view designer babies on a moral perspective rather than a medical one. Designer babies should be tolerated because they can help parents prevent their offspring from having certain diseases and disabilities.
The issue of modification through gene manipulation becomes increasingly complex when considering how this technology can be used as a means to unethical and harmful uses. In the article, Babies with Genes From 3 people could be Ethical, Panel Says, Rob Stein exposes various concerns about three gene donors in an embryo, including how a scientist, “Could introduce some new disease into the human gene pool or that scientists could try to do this for other reasons-nonmedical reasons, like create designer babies where parents pick the traits of their children.” Stein goes on to explain how the gene replacement procedure would take place, which continues to usher in a plethora of concerns as whether to allow Crispr technology be tested on a embryo.
With gene editing and selection scientists can rid future babies of many medical complications and defects. Beginning with gene editing, it can edit the genes that will cause medical complications or complications. Then with gene selection, it’s possible to select “desirable” genes and traits so the baby can lose any genetic disorders in which the parents possess and stop diseases that are in which case preventable or even treatable and is done through the process of pre-implantation screening and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. To summarize “Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) identifies embryos at elevated risk of having genetic abnormalities” a pick and choose process in short decreasing the risk of the child having any genetic disorders (Lener 2). As well as Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can be coupled with IVF to screen oocytes and embryos for certain genetic markers prior to implantation (Lender 2).
I do believe parents should be able to pick genetic characteristics of their children, only if it is absolutely necessary and the parents want to have their own child. Some of the pros to this might be that the parents have a high chance of a genetic disease, so a designer baby might be necessary to reduce or remove that genetic disease. I feel that designer babies should only be designed if it is some genetic disease or something that would harm the baby only to eliminate the disease. Designer babies can prevent genetic disorders, which can create a healthier generation of kids in the future. Therefore this can eliminate genetic diseases for everyone and make future reproduction easier by not having to use designer babies again.[1]
Designer babies are a bad advance to medicine because they cost a lot of money so not everyone can afford them. They also do not get to be themselves they are someone or multiple people all at once. Not all genes are perfect so therefore you cannot cure every disease you do not want it to have. Our world would be a better place if we stopped creating our babies we do not want the next generation of humans all to be
In 1932, Aldous Huxley imagined and wrote about a world where designer baby technology is prevalent in his science-fiction novel, Brave New World. The technology would not come until many years later, but his ideas still hold up today. In the book, there were different classes depending on how genetically modified one was, including Alpha or Beta (“The Public Should Oppose Designer Baby Technology”). Outside of science fiction, though, is real science where an actual baby can be genetically modified before even being born. A designed baby is one that is purposefully shaped to be one way or another through processes including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), where an egg is fertilized and genetically altered, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis
According to Munson (2014), through genetic screening or testing, birth of infants with debilitating or crippling defects can be avoided. Also through testing, disease and illness could be eradicated because the gene that causes the disease or illness would not be passed on to the next generation. This is consider eugenics. Some in the medical field have a negative feeling towards this, as if to be playing God. There are others in the medical field on the extreme end feel that laws should be developed that couples with known genes that cause genetic disorders must not have children or if they do selection of embryos are done (Munson, 2014).
In many countries, it is illegal to create a designer baby, but in the United States, there is no law against it (Knoepfler, The Ethical Dilemma of Designer Babies, TedTalk). In his TedTalk, “The Ethical Dilemma of Designer Babies,” stem cell and genetics researcher, Paul Knoepfler, states the long-term risks of designer babies, describing it as “a kinder, gentler, positive eugenics.” He also touches on government involvement in this researcher; “I also think it 's not that unlikely that governments might start taking an interest in genetic modification. So for example our imagined GM Jenna child who is healthier, if there 's a generation that looks like they have lower healthcare costs, it 's possible that governments may start trying to compel their citizens to go the GM route.” I agree with many points Knoepfler makes in his TedTalk.
Pro-Choice “77% of Anti-Abortion Leaders are men, 100% of them will never be pregnant” (Barbara Kruger). Whether to continue or end a pregnancy, has been a long debated topic, extending long after the Roe v. Wade case that went all the way to the Supreme court (ProCon). Abortion is defined as the intentional termination of a pregnancy, frequently performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy (Oxford University Press). Each year, over one million women in America chose to have an abortion (WebMD). What would happen if that right to choose was taken away?
As technology advances, more things become possible. One of these things is genetically modifying a baby, this is very wrong. Genetic modifying or genetic engineering is altering someone or something’s DNA. Scientists hope to cure diseases with this method but doing this can lead to some harmful effects. This process is very unethical.
Ever heard of designer babies, ever thought wow that sounds awesome, or I would love a designer baby. But have you ever thought about how it could harm your baby or hurt you? Well, sometimes it’s ok to give what god gave people no matter what. The things people can change about your baby is their The gender of the baby, The outward looks of the baby ,Reduce the baby’s chances of falling sick or getting affected with a particular disease, Change the baby’s overall personality, After and improve the baby’s overall levels of intelligence.
Editing of the human genome in the past has been only a sight seen in dystopia works such as Brave New World. Now, genetic enhancement is a prevalent today and people are beginning to realize the issues that can arise from creating these designer babies. Gene editing can be helpful to eradicate life changing disabilities. Yet, the term disability does not correctly label these differently abled people, as the idea of what is considered disabled has changed overtime. To fully understand the consequences and implications of genetic selection and enhancement of human embryos, society must mature and declare lines of what is and is not ethically moral.
“The main arguments against genetic modification of human embryos are that it would be unsafe and unfair, and that modification would quickly go beyond efforts to reduce the incidence of inherited maladies” (Caplan). During the altering genes in the mother 's womb cause a lot of dangerous situations and
