Genetically Engineering Embryos Should Begin

As we stand in the world today, we as humans have never been more technologically advanced or scientifically intelligent. We have the ability to explore outer space and the depths of the oceans. We are even in the process of developing organs using 3D printing technology. But there is a limit to the extent of advancements that humankind can reach before some begin to pose dangers to humanity or become unethical. Currently, technology is being developed to expand the procedure of in vitro fertilization to genetically modify embryos. The products of this engineering are commonly known as “designer babies”. This technology, when fully developed, would grant parents the opportunity to select against possibly life threatening or altering conditions such as cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. Using this technology, parents would also be able to make extensive selections regarding their baby’s gender, physical characteristics, and possibly even personality traits and talents. While it is positive advancement to be able to select against life-threatening diseases, the creation of an a-la-carte baby is unethical and crosses the line between positive sociological developments and immoral manipulations of nature for many reasons.

Day by day, an accretion of advancements and improvements are formed across the world. Prominent developments occur rapidly, like the use and creation of technology. Technology has and continues to create an immense effect on how we live our daily lives. Its use is ranged from how information is found, travel, communication, and more. However, the advancements of technology seems to interfere with the circle of natural life, life that is brought into our world. It has changed the lives of unborn children, whom are in the form of an embryo. Altered by a new technique and process of genetic modification, that is commonly referred to as “Designer Babies”. This genetic modification, genetically modifies the DNA of an embryo to achieve desirable traits amongst them. It changes an unborn babies development and future life. While it may seem that designer babies can be a positive life change, there are negative effects that outweigh, due to the fact that it goes against human nature; genetic probability, expectations, diversity, and religious prospects.

Science and technology are always pushing forward and leading us to new discoveries, dramatically altering life as we know it. One of the newest discoveries is the genetic enhancement of infants, also known as designer babies or germline enhancement. Scientists take the human embryo and enhance its genetic makeup to ensure a particular gene is present or to remove the gene altogether. The manipulation of the unborn child’s genes will pose unknown risks and will be done without their consent. The controversy of this deception will further destabilize society and its unity. The genetic enhancement of infants should be opposed because it is unethical and dangerous to civilians and society.

A designer baby is a baby genetically engineered in vitro for specially selected traits, which can vary from lowered disease-risk to gender selection. Before the advent of genetic engineering and in vitro fertilization (IVF), designer babies were primarily a science fiction concept. However, the rapid advancement of technology before and after the turn of the twenty-first century makes designer babies an increasingly real possibility. As a result, designer babies have become an important topic in bioethical debates, and in 2004 the term “designer baby” even became an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. Designer babies represent an area within embryology that has not yet become a practical reality, but nonetheless draws out ethical concerns about whether or not it will become necessary to implement

Over the past decade, the scientific technology of genetic engineering has grown drastically. Online articles propose that the chance to pick the accurate characteristics a guardian wants for their child will be accessible, “Any couple with several thousand dollars to spare can choose the sex of their offspring” (Ehrich and Williams, 2004). Progressed regenerative advances permit people and specialists to screen embryos for a hereditary issue and select solid developing lives. Although Designer babies have been a subject that has been banned in China, UK, and India, it is still a mainstream point far and wide. This subject brings a considerable measure of verbal confrontations about the basic, yes and no, but additionally about when and when not.

An article called “In Praise of Designer Babies” ( October 10, 2013) was constructed by Paul Waldman, a columnist and senior writer for the magazine “The American Prospect” for which this article was published in. This magazine covers various topics from a liberal and progressive perspective. Within this source, Waldman claims that the future of Designer Babies may not be as unethical as some people make it out to be, and that society may truly want the potential of genetically modifying their kids more than they think. To fully support his argument, Waldman refutes some of the most prominent ethical arguments with his own thinking about genetically modified embryos as well as what he believes society’s true opinion about designer babies are.

Designer babies open the “Pandora’s box” of risks and problems tied to the ethical issues of the technology. Designer babies—created unnaturally—may suffer from health problems, a new class of genetically-enhanced individuals will create social complications, the expense of designer babies will limit the benefits of this technology to the wealthy while the poor and marginalized suffer with genetic diseases, and other issues (Baird). Taking responsibility is important especially since, while Frankenstein conducted his experiment in secret, scientists today are more closely monitored and funded by the government and by the public. This is true especially when science involves humans. With so many people involved in the pursuit of creating designer babies, the responsibility over these genetically-modified people is complex.

The remarkable advancements in technology and the exceptional discoveries in science has brought this generation one step closer to unlocking the secret to the modification of embryos to our own wishes. Designer babies allow society to customize offspring that hold certain, desirable traits through the process of genetic engineering during in vitro fertilization. Although scientists have possibly found a way to genetically modify the genes of a human embryo, it has become clear to me that I disagree with the process of engineering a child as people will use it only for appearances, be misused that’ll lead to a form of abortion, and create a gap within society.

In the article “Designer Babies” from science writer Philip Ball, who discusses multiple contributing factors to the movement of genetic recoding in human embryos, we are given the process and statistics by which a fetus’s traits can be modified. While they can change simple hereditary features, there is a much broader spectrum on which they can modify genes. Apparently, disease, personality, and even intelligence can be affected through these means. However, there are many drawbacks to this situation that outweigh the pros. This will discuss how IVF embryos could negatively affect our lives and societies, as well as why the supporting side is faulted.

New technological advances and scientific methods continue to change the course of nature. One of the current controversial advances in science and technology is the use of genetically modified embryos in which the study exceeds stem cell research. Scientists have begun planning for research involving human embryos in the genetic modification field. Many technological developments are responsible for improving our living standards and even saving lives, but often such accomplishments have troubling cultural and moral ramifications (Reagan, 2015). We are already beyond the days in which virtually the only procreative option was for a man and a woman to conceive the old-fashioned way (Reagan, 2015). Genetic modification of human embryos can be perceived as a positive evolution in the medical process yet it is surrounded by controversy due to ethical processes. Because this form of genetic modification could affect later born children and their offspring, the protection of human subjects should be a priority in decisions about whether to proceed with such research (Dresser, 2004). The term Human Genetic Engineering was originally made public in 1970. During this time there were several methods biologists began to devise in order to better identify or isolate clone genes for manipulation in several species or mutating them in humans.

The first ethical issue involves the potential commercialization of babies – genetically engineered babies become pets and objects that can be bought. The genetically modified baby might be treated as a robot or a disposable object relative to the baby born from the mother’s womb. This might raise moral issues concerning the ethical treatment of genetically modified babies.

Should parent be allowed to genetically engineer their children? : The ethical dilemma of designer babies.

Genetic engineering has to do with manipulating organisms and DNA to create body characteristics. The practice of genetic DNA has shown an increasing amount over the past years. The process of genetic enhancement involves manipulating organisms by using biotechnologies. The technique is by removing a DNA from one life form and transferring it to another set of traits or organism. Certain barriers are conquered, and the procedure involves changing a form of cells, resulting from an improvement or developed organism. GMO which is a (Genetic Modified Organisms) is the operation done in a laboratory where DNA genetic from one particular species or animals is directly forced into another gene from an unrelated subject of plants or even animals.

The advances in technology make it possible to be able to manipulate human genetics to produce genetically perfect humans however, these advancements do not make it a good idea. In the essay, “Designer Babies and other Fairy Tales”, (published in British magazine the New Statesman2002), author Maureen Freely argues that the many aspects and complexities of reproductive issues and the use of reproductive technology should be debated and decided publicly in a democratic way. Her argument is based on a British case regarding Raj and Hashmis, parents of a three-year-old boy, who were recommended

Reproductive technology is one of the most revolutionary developments in the medical field today. One of the newest and most advanced developments in modern medicine is in vitro fertilization (IVF). In vitro fertilization is a reproductive technology in which an egg and sperm are combined in a petri dish and then transferred to a woman’s uterus. This technique is widely used for parents struggling with infertility. This advancement in technology has created the possibility for what scientists are calling, “designer babies”. A designer baby is a fetus with genes that may be chosen by parents to prevent genetically-transmitted diseases, select the gender of the baby, and most controversially, to choose various physical and mental characteristics such as eye color, hair color, intelligence, and athletic and musical abilities. Although there may be some benefits to being able to genetically modify a child by eliminating diseases, this technique raises many ethical and medical issues. Bioethicists, geneticists and others have suggested that genetically modifying babies may cause miscarriage, other potential dangers such as an increase in class divisions in society, and have unknown effects on other gene characteristics if one gene is altered. Other problems raised include societal issues such as sex discrimination and discrimination favoring designer babies over non-designer babies. I propose that parents should not be allowed to alter and choose a fetus’s genetics except