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:
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Bob Loblaw's Bio Blog: I'll have one baby please, thanks. Hmm black hair, green eyes, not too many freckles please.
