The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Enhancement Of Children

Genetic enhancement of humans, defined as the modification of non-pathological traits by transfer of genetic information, is a controversial issue with a broad spectrum of ethical positions. It is not difficult to imagine a future where reproductive technologies to improve the quality of the human species are routinely implemented, however there are a myriad of ethical issues that lead to different complexities, and therein answers, as to whether they should be. In this paper, I contend that even if the means of technology are available to increase the capabilities of the human mind in terms of intelligence, doing so must be done with caution and all consequential effects on the life forms that will result must be seriously considered. Reprogenetics,

While my contention does not deny the argument that all children should be open to having the best possible life, the definition of ‘the best life’ varies depending on the way in which we assess the outcomes of such technology. Broadly, we can define quality of life as ‘the general well-being of a person or society, defined in terms of health and happiness’2. By genetically increasing the intelligence of an individual, it may be easy to assume that their quality of life will reciprocally increase, but I argue that this may not necessarily be the case. Even the most basic cough medicine induces side effects that do not just entail the relieving of a cough, and with that, it should be remembered that tampering with nature is apt to bring some form of negative

Parents have control over the interests and ideologies of their children through exposure, they control what children wear, what toys they are allowed to play with, who they can engage with and much more. However, if parents are granted permission to go further and select personality traits, aptitudes and professions for the child to pursue, they may be treated merely as a parent’s object, in comparison to unique individuals that are worthy in their own rights with autonomy over how they decide to be. Furthermore, by designing traits and aptitudes, children could become a market model in which all human characteristics are given a price, commodifying the children and objectifying them even more. This has the potential to lead to an issue of identity - they may feel inauthentic, or that they have no real ‘self’, because who they are has not been developed, rather it has been predetermined and chosen for