Genetically Modified Babies: Annotated Bibliography

Picture a young couple in a waiting room looking through a catalogue together. This catalogue is a little different from what you might expect. In this catalogue, specific traits for babies are being sold to couples to help them create the "perfect baby." This may seem like a bizarre scenario, but it may not be too far off in the future. Designing babies using genetic enhancement is an issue that is gaining more and more attention in the news. This controversial issue, once thought to be only possible in the realm of science-fiction, is causing people to discuss the moral issues surrounding genetic enhancement and germ line engineering. Though genetic research can prove beneficial to learning how to prevent hereditary

In the essay, titled "Building Baby from the Genes Up?" Ronald M. Green proclaims his approval of genetic selection and extraction of human genes. He gives reasons that support his outlook on the matter, that this will be useful to civilization. Ronald M. Green is in violation of several ethical codes, with his view on genetic modification. I am against genetically modified humans, and I will explain to you, why this is my stance on the subject. First, I will summarize exactly what Ronald M. Green says in his article about his view on genetic modification and why practicing it is vital. Second, I will describe research

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

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

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.

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

"The Embryo Project Encyclopedia." Ethics of Designer Babies. Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. Embryo Project Encyclopedia., 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Sept.

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.

I hope you enjoyed your day today. I would like to inform you the controversy regarding the choice of creating designer babies, in which parents can attend a clinic and have their baby genetically modified with certain desired traits, including the baby’s physical and mental attributes. Many disregard the idea in the sense that the practice is forbidden; only God should be able to choose a baby’s traits, and doing so would essentially be playing God. However, I respectfully disagree and, in fact, support the idea where parents have the ability to choose the traits of their baby to improve their child’s health.

Continuous advancements have been made in these fields, and thus contribute to human genetic engineering. The method of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, also known as embryonic screening, allows parents at risk of transmitting a genetic disease to ensure their future children are unaffected by the disease. Some say that it would be greatly favorable for parents to have the ability to avoid passing on a genetic disease. While there is potential to eliminate many diseases, it also has an equally likely potential to be a hindrance to progression. Families are placed in a difficult predicament if the test determines the child does indeed have a disease, as they then must then consider the possibility of abortion. This brings about its own ethical

Because controlling the genetic content of the child’s DNA will prevent genetic diseases and disability, designer babies should be allowed. There are many illnesses which neither the child nor the parents could prevent the child from getting. This kind of disease is transferred from the parents to the child by genes like diabetes. Because of these genes the child will get a disability or illness, which can affect their not only physical but also mental ability. Because of that they cannot function as well as other kids, and it might lead to emotions problems and anxieties. So when this technology claims to have the ability to end most of the diseases, the community should give it the best chance. Also, Michael Bostrom, author of “The Morality of Human Genetic Engineering” argues that “the practice of genetic engineering might also lead to better treatment of disability” (1). Opponents show their disagreement by pointing out

With the help of technology, scientists are capable of repairing one’s genes and prevent babies from inheriting “abnormal genes”. However, focusing on designer babies, this idea might sound really appealing to a lot of people. People will have a chance to “program” their own child according to their own will, and they might take the excitement out of the unexpected. On the other hand, aren’t parents abusing or taking advantage of technology to fulfill their own desire by selecting certain traits for a child and make them “perfect”? Providing a chance for parents to create “perfect babies” makes no difference with encouraging discrimination in society. We could not deny the fact that people have an image in mind of what characteristics

There are sometimes immediate or later consequences as a result of an action. Therefore, with the creation of designer babies, it may lead to major or minor changes. What may happen in the present, may impact the future. An important concern was that “genetic screening and modification could be used as the tools of new eugenics, a popular theory during the early twentieth century that sought to remove from the population traits labeled undesirable” (Lerner, 2012, para. 10). The main purpose of designer babies was to create healthier and improved babies, but it may lead to disparity in health. People who did not undergo this procedure will not be on the same level to those who did; thus, may lead to discrimination of non-designer babies. Therefore,

s and regulations have to be in place, and also Matthew Liao the author of “ Selecting Children: The Ethics of Reproductive Genetic Engineering” who believes that being able to use genetic engineering

“Idea of 'Designer' Babies with Defective Genes Stirs Ethics Questions.” Issues Researcher, Lincoln Courier, 19 Jan. 2007, sks.sirs.com/webapp/article?artno=0000256799&type=art. Accessed 12 May 2017.