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Genetic Manipulation Essay

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By definition a designer baby is an embryo that undergoes genetic manipulation prior to In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), which is done by combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish then transferring that embryo to a uterus. The genetic manipulation is done through processes of Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). Drs. Molina B. Dayal and Ioanna Athanasiadis explain, “Preimplantation [diagnosis] refers specifically to when one or both genetic parents has a known genetic abnormality and testing is on an embryo to determine if it also carries a genetic abnormality”. PGS on the other hand, screens embryos from presumed chromosomally normal genetic parents for aneuploidy –a condition in which there is an extra or missing chromosome. (Dayal and Athanasiadis, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis). This advancement allows the prevention of inheritable genetic diseases and eliminates the dilemma of pregnancy termination …show more content…

Marcy Darnovosky, associate executive director of The Center for Genetics and Society argues, "If we're going to produce children who are claimed to be superior because of their particular genes, we risk introducing new sources of discrimination." By allowing parents to choose the physical traits of their unborn child, it further reinforces society's stereotypes of perfection. This could also result in society dividing into two different social groups, the "gen-rich" and the "gen-poor”. In Jean Twenge's article, Designer Babies Are Only for the Rich, the author explains how in-vitro fertilization drops the risk of miscarriage to 10 percent or less. However, with in-vitro fertilization costing around $15,000 excluding other procedures and insurance she questions if designer babies will soon be a marker of wealth and only poor women have to worry about

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