Essay On Genetic Engineering Babies

The term designer babies come from the procedure of embryos being selected and using genetic screening to make sure inherited diseases from their parents aren’t passed down to their offspring. But today this power is becoming abused. Some people are selecting the embryos and want to use this to pick what their child will look like and taking out certain genes to ensure their dream child. They are able to create certain traits such as athleticism or intelligence also in the embryo. Genetic screening should only be used on an embryo so ensure that is will have a healthy future and a long life. It should not be used to pick out your perfect child.

Imagine a world where having a baby was like looking through a menu at some fancy restaurant. Imagine being able to choose how a baby will look and act. As mind-boggling as it sounds, scientists and researchers came across an unbelievable discovery: it is possible to design and edit a baby however a person may like. Hanson asserts that personality, gender, appearance, intelligence, hair color, and height can be changed using technology that was originally used for animals (Hanson). These babies are called designer babies. Phillip Ball, a science writer, claims that it is possible to change the genetic makeup of an unborn baby using bio-technology. However, these changes can have more negative effects than positive. Although most countries have not legislated the use of genetic modification, studies have been done on human embryos in China (Ball).

The use of genetic engineering shouldn't give parents the choice to design their child because of the act of humans “playing” God, the ethics involved in interfering with human lives, and the dangers of changing human genes. Because of recent technological advances in "designer babies", parents

Though it is evident that the concept of “Designer Babies” would prove unpopular amongst the majority of society, there still remains to be advocates for a future compromising of GM children. It is argued that gene technology will bring about a new age of human beings who are happier, smarter and healthier. Supporters look forward to a future when parents could quite literally assemble their children from genes listed in a catalogue. A future in which the health, appearance, personality and life span of our children become mere artefacts of genetic modification.

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

Renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking once said the following regarding genetically engineered babies, “With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA, and improve the human race. But it will be a slow process, because one will have to wait about 18 years to see the effect of changes to the genetic code.” Like Mr. Hawking stated the potential negative effect of having a baby through this process would not only take eighteen years to see a minimal effect of babies procreated this particular way. Although we strive to

The possibility of making a designer baby could be happening soon. It is no longer an issue of whether it will happen; the question is when will it happen. Today researchers are making fast advances in information on the human genome and how to change and adjust genes. Utilizing pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), parents can choose particular developing embryos to guarantee a specific sex or to prevent a disease. Nevertheless, this innovation may be utilized to choose eye color or even the intelligence of a child. People should not be allowed to design their babies because it is not morally correct, it could create discrimination against the disabled, and it could affect the child 's mental well-being.

A designer baby is a genetically engineered child using InVitro fertilization for specially selected traits, which can vary from lower risk diseases to gender selection (The Embryo Project). The idea of designer babies was first established in the mid-1990s by an embryologist named Jacques Cohen. His technique for helping infertile women was intended to “rescue” the eggs of women

The act of genetically designing babies has been beneficial in The past and may continue to be in the near future.Creating designer babies are beneficial to the society in many ways.Creating designer babies has the possibility of preventing genetic disease,provide a tissue match or stem cells for a sick sibling or help infertile couples to have a baby.“….many more couples have created their own designer baby to save their sick child or prevent their offspring from inheriting a certain genetic disease.”To begin,since the year 2000 designer babies have been created to save the lives of other children. They have been created to prevent genetic disease that may be passed down. the last thing a parent would want is for their child to have a genetic

This will increase the segregation between the richer and poorer parts of society. Also this could create prejudice and discrimination between the “Designer” and “Non-designer” children, with “classes” created between them. The non-designer babies could miss out on opportunities, such as jobs because people are more likely to take the “optimum” candidate for something. The use of designer babies could also create a gap in society, as there will be a loss of individuality and diversity. This is because parents will choose the prime characteristics such as intelligence or athleticism resulting in everyone being relatively similar. The means the ability to “change” and evolve as humans will falter. Who would want a world with everyone the same? It is also concerned that these techniques will be developed with innocent intention, for example repairing a faulty gene, but will be marketed to people or abused by the government and turned more into a business rather than a medical

Finally, my last reason why I do not support genetic engineering is because it will make some people enter a bad emotional state. In the movie GATTACA,when a person was perfect, but then later found out he had mistakes they would enter a suicidal state of mind. This happens because the person thinks they’re perfect but when they realise they are not they think they’re a failure. If we start genetically modifying our children they could experience something similar to this. We should just let everyone be

“A baby whose genetic makeup has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure that a particular gene is present”; the definition of a designer baby is a simple one. A child who, through science and engineering, is given traits desired by it’s parents to resemble their view of a healthier, better baby. Whether that is to treat a mutation in the child’s DNA that could result in Down’s Syndrome or changing the baby’s eye color from brown to blue, science has made it not only conceivable but a very likely possibility, for fully designed babies to be waddling down the street within the century. Though the term “designer baby” is not one recognized by scientists, many journalists across the world have coined the term to explain the quite terrifying potential reality that lies ahead for humanity. Currently, only two types of advanced reproductive techniques can be conducted on humans. One, analyzes the sperm to determine the sex and genes of the baby, and the second screens for various genetic deformities that may occur before birth, thus allowing people to only fertilize healthy embryos.

Over the course of human existence, we have been able to design and devise revolutionary technology to suit human needs and desires. But with the advancement in technology came a whole new world to discover with more complications and problems. Humans are so keen to learn and discover that somewhere in between we have forgotten about what the consequences of that could be. That’s exactly the issue with designer babies. We are venturing into uncharted territory of human genes with advanced technology, who knows that the world is capable of doing. Brain Hayes, a senior writer for American scientist supports my reason and states “This runs many risks. It's used in many countries to avoid the birth of female children” Each year there are thousands of sex selective abortions because some cultures find sons more suitable than daughters for religions and economic demands. According to ‘population research institute’ based on the natural ration of boys to girls which is 105 boys for every 100 girls born there should only have been 47 million boys born than girls in the past 15 years but because of sex-selective abortions there were approximately 71 million more boys than girls born, meaning a huge 24 million sex-selective abortions occurred, which is absolutely ABSURD. Before finishing Hayes also includes “This designing aspect would also lead to an objectification of children as commodities” Think about it do YOU really want YOUR children/s to be identified as merchandise… or just another “product”? If the misuse of technology doesn’t change your perspective on designer babies may be the next reason

It is right to choose the features of the baby because it prevents future diseases, reduces the risk of babies with serious disorders like cancer. Designer babies carry genes that their parents may not keep, this means that the new genes that are desired will now be in the family gene pool. Furthermore, designer babies can get rid of the gene for a past family disease or disorder. The positive impact is that ‘designer babies’ allow parents to give their child a healthy life because parents would not pick the characteristics and features that will make their baby unhealthy. Designer babies will give the parents the opportunity to create their ‘perfect’ child. For instance, parents can choose for their baby to have red hair, blue eyes, gender

Many people disagree with the idea of genetically modifying babies but the pros are way more than the cons. The so called “designer babies” can prevent several genetic diseases such as Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, etc. This genetic diseases have been part of society since the beginning of time and until now there has been no way of preventing it other than aborting the baby when such disease is detected to spare it from the potential suffering. With “designer babies” all these diseases could possibly be completely eradicated which would give society a great benefit.