Designer Babies

          As reproductive technology becomes more advanced, parents and doctors could one day choose the genes that a child inherits. Like most other situations, there are pros and cons to having designer babies. By being able to modify or select genes, you can avoid heredity disorders such as Huntington’s chorea, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy. On the other hand, by picking and choosing genes, it creates many social problems as the genes that were chosen would be seen as the “ideal” genes and the genes that were left behind would be seen as “imperfect.” The vast amount of knowledge that is known about genetic processes today is very helpful for people who have genetic disorders but I think it is unnecessary to select desirable genes for cosmetic reasons.    

A lot of research has been done on genetics which has created technologies that enable us to be able to view the genes of a child before it is born. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) are used to create designer babies. Using these types of technology, genetic illnesses can be avoided and it helps to create healthy futures for those children. PGD is used with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and a cell can be removed from the embryo before it transfers back to the mother. The DNA in the cell can be analyzed for genetic errors such as Down syndrome, and then the embryo can be transferred back to the mother’s uterus. PGD makes it possible to detect genetic errors before the pregnancy is established. This is just one example of the many different technologies that have been developed from the extensive amount of research that has been done on genetic processes. 

I think that when you are able to avoid genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy, the research that was done on genetics is being put to good use. For example, someone with muscular dystrophy can be confined to a wheelchair by the time they are 12 which is very unfortunate. That child will not get to live life the way everyone else does so using technology to change those genes would be a positive thing. On the other hand, when this technology is used to choose genes for cosmetic reasons, it creates many social problems. I personally think choosing a child’s genes because you would rather have a tall child as suppose to be a short child is unnecessary. There are people that do not live past their first birthday because of a genetic disorder that they have so worrying about the little details of a child’s appearance is ridiculous. Most people were brought up believing that it is fine to be different and unique and it is, but designer babies completely go against that statement. I think using technology to choose genes for medical reasons is understandable but choosing genes for cosmetic reasons is pointless. 

Sources

By, Park/New York, and Thompson/Washington. "Designer Babies - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989987,00.html>.

Year, By. "PGD Technology Offers More Than Designer Babies." Medical News Today: Health News. 01 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/144448.php>.

            "What Is a Designer Baby?" Bionet - New Discoveries in Life Sciences - Explore the Science and Debate the Issues. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm>.

             "Will Screening for Birth Defects Lead to 'designer Babies'?" Canada.com – Breaking News‚ Canada‚ World‚ Weather‚ Travel‚ Video & More. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.canada.com/topics/lifestyle/parenting/story.html?id=af85fffa-81df-4c47-b389-d7eefc2faccf&k=7781>.

 Blogs I Commented On

http://nicolesbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/designer-babies.html#comments
http://maeisdabomb.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-build-stuff-toy-when-you-can-build.html#comments