Persuasive Speech : Designer Babies

In my case study I will be discussing should designer babies be allowed? I will be looking at what designer babies are, how would they be achieved? as well as the pros and cons of designer babies. I will also review the possible effects that having designer babies has.

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.

Charles Darwin started it all. His theory of evolution and natural selection in 1859 lead people to question the biological limits of human society (Rose). Then came Hitler’s ideas in the 1930’s. His desire to create a dominant human race sparked the eugenics movement, the idea that the humans could be genetically improved by selective breeding (Rose). Even if this can be done, is it right to genetically modify fetuses? Furthermore, is there a line between changing a baby's genome in order to avoid disease and designing a baby with desirable traits?

Living in such a fast paced society people look at new technologies as almost being something that they are forced to try. Biological and technological advances become so over bearing that we almost can’t resist. Although Stephan L. Baird in his article Designer Babies: Eugenics Repackaged or Consumer Options? And Bonnie Steinbock in her article Designer Babies: Choosing Our Children’s Genes, take issue with “designer babies”. Baird believes that this technology has already enabled “designer babies” and now the concern should be over regulation. Steinbock, on the other hand, is both critical and dismissive of “designer babies” and doesn’t believe parents have

Designer Babies are important in making a healthier America because they will eliminate disease. For instance, Caroline Chen, a researcher and journalist for Bloomberg Technology, talks about cases in which people editing embryos through heredity may be “the only or the most acceptable

This would alleviate future suffering and hardships for that individual (Wadhaw). These technologies would help expecting parents edit unfavorable traits out. Designer babies would also be more accessible to the upper class because such procedures cost several tens of thousands of dollars (Ridley). Genetically inherited diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and color blindness could also be prevented. For example, if two parents had sickle cell anemia, there is a high possibility that their baby will get it as well.

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.

Therapeutic genetic manipulation is preformed by doctors to prevent diseases that the baby is carrying. The baby is tested by screening the embryo for any possible unknown diseases. Sometimes the PGD or preimplantation genetic diagnosis technique is used for this ("Biotechnology special focus"). The main diseases PGD is used to test for in babies are Hunntington's disease, Tay-sacks, Alzheimers, Familia cancers, Sickle Cell disease, Hemophilia, Neurofibromatosis, Fanconi's Anemia, Cystic fibrosis and most recently, Down's Syndrome ("Hooray for designer babies", 2002). This technique involves removing the unfertilized egg from the female, mating it with a sperm and then testing it for diseases. If all the diseases are absent, the fertilized egg is planted into the mother's uterus to develop into a baby. Some other unpredictable diseases may also be carried in the baby's chromosomes. Chromosome carrying diseases and disorders include: miscarriage of the baby, physical birth defects or down syndrome (Biotechnology special focus").

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

(Thadani 2). The process of “Designer babies” involves fertilizing the egg by the sperm in a test tube outside the mother’s womb, and altering the genes. This procedure is also called Pre- implantation Genetic Diagnosis, known as (PGD). It is noble to eradicate disorders and diseases. Some people use the process for non- health reasons. When the screening is opened up to non-related health, 72 percent disapprove of the procedure, (“Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue.”). According to a June 2006 paper published by Kathy L. Hudson of the Genetics and Public Policy Center, many people wanted to enforce a line between acceptable and unacceptable uses for PGD. (Hudson 1). By 2009, the Fertility Institutes in Los Angeles were letting parents select their children’s hair and eye color. The procedure brought over 4 billion dollars a year to the clinics. Clinics were focused on the money and no the important things, like the patients. They did not have the best interest in their patients, as much as they did in the money. (“Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue.”). The public had a very negative view about using PGD for personal traits. (“Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue.”). The clinic changed their policy after the outbreak of the public. (“Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue.”). Also the procedure is very risky. The procedure involves some risks to the embryo, and some parents with no personal history of disease or disability. (Briggs 2). If the process is not done correctly and carefully, the embryo may have a chance of being terminated. (The Ethics of “Designer Babies”). The procedure also causes a chance of mutation. (“Preface to ‘Genetic of Enhancement of Human Abilities’”.). The technology

The concept of designer babies first came around in 1978, when the first test tube baby Louise Brown was born. It was a revolutionary time in genetics, and opened up many doors for scientists around the world. Genetics is a huge part of modern science,

Technology has made leaps and bounds over the past several years; it has come to have tremendous effects on how we live our lives; from transportation to how quickly we can access information. Recently, technology has begun changing the lives of children, especially infants. A new form of genetic engineering can genetically modify the DNA of an embryo to achieve specific or desirable traits; this is referred to as “Designer Babies”. This procedure will ultimately change lives, for better or for worse. While it may seem to most that designer babies are beneficial, they will actually cause more harm than good.

Attention Getter: Grab a seat, pick up your baby catalog and start choosing. Will you go for the black hair or blonde hair? Would you prefer tall or short? Funny or clever?

How does it sound to walk into the doctor’s office, choose what attributes you want your baby to have, and then having that exact baby 9 months later? Although this may seem quite harmless to most, the negative effects of designer babies are tremendous: the lack of diversity in our population, violation of a specific set of laws designed to protect humans, going against Christian views, and even destroying the roots of human nature. With genetic engineering biotechnology, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (or CRISPR), new and unique altercations are being done to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. Along with astounding benefits that can come from these biotechnologies, many people have come up with crazy ideas, such as these designer baby ideas, that could be potentially harmful to our society.

It can also be used to test for Tay-Sachs Disease, Fragile-X Mental Retardation, Cystic Fibrosis, Down Syndrome and Spinal Muscular Atrophy. In the past couples who wanted to have childr en, and were carriers of inherited diseases, worried about the possibility of their children inheriting the disease. Parents will no longer have this worry. In 1989, an English couple became the first to use PGD [Grady,1995]. It was used because they were at risk of passing along a form of severe mental retardation. Because it only affected sons, PGD was used to ensure that the couple had a daughter.