DESIGN YOUR BABY NOW!
Imagine seeing two parents, both with blue eyes and blonde hair alongside with a young toddler with green eyes and black hair. The first thought that would come to my mind and in many other people, would be adoption. However within the many thousands of scientists, the first thing that would come to mind would be “Designer Babies”.
The genetic process of rearranging DNA within the embryo in order to change cosmetic or genetic characteristics is what designer babies are all about. Although implementing this within society can be much more difficult than the process itself. A feud has been brought to the occasion for nearly almost 20 years. This brought opinions from many public authorities amongst the scientific, religious, political and economic communities. Bringing ethical and moral issues to the table.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is one of the methods to reinvent DNA within embryos. PGD is used within fertility institutes to experiment on embryos before they enter into a women’s womb (3). Scientists can either remove or add certain DNA to the embryo in order to reconstruct the cell. Although PGD can’t be that easy, there are many risk factors which come into play. Only a certain amount of embryos can be inserted into a women’s womb. The “Octomom Mess” earned its fame, when Nadya Suleman gave birth to 8 babies in response to in-vitro fertilization (IVF), where 6 embryos were inserted in her uterus with 2 splitting into twins (3). What moral benefits can this possibly bring to an individual? Pro-life campaigners stand against embryo correction and say that it is morally wrong to produce unnatural offspring. Imagine if society began to start having 8 babies in one carriage! To me, that’s beyond moral standings.
A shocking picture of Nadya Suleman with an enourmous belly.
Although modified fertilization can bring miraculous results and can even save lives. Implantation gave the ability to stop genetic diseases and even stopped certain CANCERS forming within offspring. In Jan 2009, the first breast cancer free British girl was born at the University College Hospital in London. Doctors have stopped a three generation cycle of breast cancer from her father’s side of the family (2). This is not the only way this type of fertilization can save thousands of lives. “Savior siblings” are children who can act as tissue donors to their older siblings who are in need of tissue transplants (6). Unfortunately these methods have an effect on people who are concerned for the ethical grounds of society. James Dowson, of the LifeLeague campaign group, stated, “Today it is cancer, next year it will be IQ, and the year after that blue eyes and blonde hair” (2). We cannot disagree with this fact. Evidently this can possibly come true and change the course of the social ethics.
Another point in ethical factors, people fear that societies will separate into groups of genetically enhanced humans and normal humans. There is a possibility that breeding this race of super-humans can give them the idea of an obligation to rule over those who do not contain genetic improvements. Also considering the technology being very expensive (10 000 for procedure and 3000 for medication), I highly doubt that it will be available to the lower class of society (4). This will only bring more inequality between rich and poor people. A perfect example of what this society may look like can be seen in Directors Andrew Niccol’s “GATTACA” (1). Underclass humans are placed with menial jobs and are forced to work for superior humans. If you’d want to see a glimpse of what the future might be like, CLICK BELOW :)
ARTICLE REFERENCES:
1. Agar, Nicholas. “Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations” American Institute of Biological Sciences (Apr. 2006) Web. 22 March 2011
2. Greenhill, Sam. Hope, Jenny., and Mcdermott, Nick. “Britain's first cancer-free designer baby born after being screened for deadly gene” Mail Online. (11 Jan. 2009) Web. 22 March 2011.
3. Sherbahn, Richard. MD. “A Fertility Specialist Discusses the Number of Embryos to Transfer with IVF, Multiple Births & Octomom” Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago (9 Aug. 2009) Web. 22 March 2011.
4. Sherbahn, Richard. MD. “SET, Single Embryo Transfer for IVF – Pros and Cons” Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago (6 Nov. 2010) Web. 22 March 2011.
5. “The Need to Regulate Designer Babies” Scientific American (4 May, 2009.) Print. 22 March 2011.
6. “Will screening for birth defects lead to 'designer babies'? National Post (5 Oct. 2005) Web. 22 March 2011.
PICTURES:
http://www.momlogic.com/2009/02/pick_your_babys_gender_hair_color.php
http://www.onlineusanews.com/nadya-suleman-octomom-12335.php
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_nkVmRSpfE&feature=related
