"Its a blue eyed boy!" "WHAT??? I paid for green eyes! Return it!"

 
Designer babies? Are they high end accessories?

Well, I would hope not. The term designer baby refers to babies’ whose genes have been artificially selected through a process called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD. Meaning scientists can now choose certain characteristics in a child.

          Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PDG lets doctors select the gender of a baby, the hair colour, eye colour and so on. Presently some clinics in the world allow parents to pay large sums of money so that they can choose the gender of their baby. However the last time I checked babies were considered humans, just like any one of us. So why are babies being treated like they are consumer goods? I thought parents were supposed to love and accept their child no matter who they are, and especially no matter what they look like. But these new technologies being developed could mean having blue eyes makes a kid "unlovable".

I think using this technology for cosmetic purposes is wrong, but what about the medical benefits? PGD allows doctors to screen embryos for genetic disorders. Then once they have chosen a healthy embryo, they implant it in the mother and dispose of the other embryos. A healthy embryo is carried to term and the parents get their happily ever after. But what about the embryos that were disposed of?

In the process of creating a healthy baby, other embryos that had diseases, but had the potential to live, were killed. I want to say that its’ right to save children from horrible, painful and crippling diseases but what about those other embryos? "Many people see aborting a fetus as “killing”, whereas in the case of PGD the spare embryos are “allowed to die" (Medical ethics). Had those embryos had the chance to develop naturally, they might have been able to develop into people. In my mind, the fact that there was any chance those embryos could become people makes "letting them die" wrong. 

Furthermore PGD sends out the message that its better that those diseased embryos die. But then what kind of message are we sending to the people who are alive and suffering from those diseases? Are we saying that it would have been better if they weren’t born? I think society has to realize that some people may have diseases, but their lives still have value. If a treatment is created for genetic disorders where numerous embryos are not "disposed" of, I will be all for that. But until then, I have to say that I think the use of PGD is wrong.

Using this science means we are making decisions about peoples lives. We are saying your life has value, and yours' does not. We are saying you need to look this way, or you need to be this gender, and if your not, well then we don’t want you. Before we make the decision to go ahead and continue playing God, we should think, wait a second; we’re actually affecting real people. 

Works Cited

"Designer Babies: Creating the Perfect Child - CNN." Featured Articles From The CNN. 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://articles.cnn.com/2008-10-30/tech/designer.babies_1_genetic-screening-designer-babies-animal-embryos?_s=PM:TECH.

""Designer Babies" Ethical? - The Early Show - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/03/earlyshow/health/main4840346.shtml.

"Discovery Health "The In Vitro Process"" Discovery Health "Health Guides" Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/fertility/in-vitro-fertilization1.htm.

"Embryo Screening and the Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering | Learn Science at Scitable." Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/embryo-screening-and-the-ethics-of-60561.

"Is There an Ethical Difference between Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Abortion? -- Cameron and Williamson 29 (2): 90 -- Journal of Medical Ethics." Journal of Medical Ethics - BMJ Journals. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. http://jme.bmj.com/content/29/2/90.abstract.

 

Blogs I commented on:

natasha's bio blog: The Moral Dilemmas of Being Smart
and
Bob Loblaw's Bio Blog: I'll have one baby please, thanks. Hmm black hair, green eyes, not too many freckles please.

MISSING: 40 Different Species of Amphibians (Last seen over a Decade Ago)

Conservation International is a global organization on a mission: achieve a clean, stable and healthy planet for all of us to enjoy.

Conservation International knows that economic and infrastructure expansion impacts the environment. Therefore they are working at all levels of society to create sustainable development. One way Conservation International is working towards their goal is through a campaign called "The Search for the Lost Frogs". This campaign organizes expeditions whom search for 40 different species of amphibians, all of whom have not been seen in at least a decade. These expeditions are taking place throughout Asia, South America and Africa. No research has been conducted on any of the missing species in over a decade; therefore it is unknown whether they are extinct.

Amphibians play important roles in ecosystems since they filter waterways, eat disease carrying insects, regulate nutrient cycles, and provide us with breakthroughs in medicine. The skin of amphibians is especially useful in medical research because it contains substances that protect amphibians from certain microbes and viruses. Of all the Nobel Prizes won in Physiology and Medicine, 10% of them have used frogs in their research (Save the Frogs).

The majority of the expeditions have not begun their searches yet. However some expeditions have already rediscovered some species.



 The Cave Splayfoot salamander had not been seen since 1941. A scientist from a Conservation International expedition rediscovered the salamander in a Mexican cave.



The Omaniundu Reed Frog was last seen in 1979 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Conservation International expedition team spent hours searching a flooded forest off the Congo river in order to rediscover this species.

 

The Mount Nimba Reed frog was last seen 43 years ago, but it has been rediscovered by a Conservation International expedition in the Cote d'Ivoire. Part of Mount Nimba is already protected, however it is urgent the rest of this region is protected since this is the sole habitat of this highly threatened species.

The organizer of Conservation Internationals' campaign, Dr. Robin Moore said "These are fantastic finds and could have important implications for people as well as for amphibians. We don't know whether study of these animals could provide new medicinal compounds" (Conservation International). These findings will be presented at the International Biodiversity Conference being held in Japan this month.



The search for the rest of the missing species continues. Some species that remain missing include:

 

The Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad was last seen in 1995 and is listed as critically endangered.

 

The Scarlet frog, hasn't been seen for over 20 years. They're only known to exist in a certain stream in a forest at a high altitude in Venezuela.

I think the work Conservation International is doing is extremely important. Since all organisms are interconnected, the loss of just one species is a huge loss for all of us. By doing this research, Conservation International could save numerous species of amphibians, which directly benefits us and our ecosystems. I admire the fact that Conservation International sees the value in doing this research. They are literally reinforcing the web of life.  



Sources:

"Benefits of Amphibians." The Zoological Society of London. Website. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.zsl.org/about-us/>

"The Search for the Lost Frogs." Conservation International. Website. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.conservation.org/campaigns/lost_frogs/Pages/search_for_lost_amphibians.aspx>

"What is Biodiversity?" Countdown 2010. Website. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.countdown2010.net/biodiversity>

"Worldwide Amphibian Declines." Amphibiaweb. Website. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.amphibiaweb.org/declines/declines.html>

"Why We Must Save the Frogs." Save the Frogs. Website. 4 Oct. 2010. <http://www.savethefrogs.com/why-frogs/>

Blogs I commented on:

 http://itsalive-conn.blogspot.com/2010/09/crikey.html?showComment=1286241948157#c5407455283525118911

http://natashasbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/worlds-fastest-cats-are-disappearing.html?showComment=1286242837442#c7202012741578210922