The term, Designer Babies, is used to describe an infant whose embryo was modified by genetic engineers through In Vitro Fertilization or IFV and then implanted into a womb. It is also predicted that in the future, due to advanced technology, not only can a baby avoid genetic disorders, but also, parents will get a chance to choose the traits of their babies such as hair colour, eye colour and even their intelligence level.Germ line therapy is another way to genetically modify embryos. Although, germ line therapy is still in it's early stages and has not yet become part of the mainstream medicine. Initially, with this therapy, genetic makeup of reproductive tissues can be altered before they are fertilized. Embryos containing genetic diseases could be cured by replacing sections of DNA with healthy DNA.
Though this idea may sound good to people, not everyone can afford it. Many are opposed to this idea due to the fact that they believe those who are rich get the chance to know beforehand if their child will be born with a genetic disorder and if so, change it so that he or she is as perfect and healthy as possible, while those who don't have enough money can only pray and hope that nothing happens to their unborn infant. Also, people believe that children are gifts, not commodities. All children are unique and should be valued for themselves. Some people also fear that this could lead to the abortion of those who have a chance of being born with a disablity and the unnecessary eradication of foetuses. Those who were born with disabilities are not very comfortable with this idea that instead of having a baby the way it is, disability or not, some people choose to either pay to change the baby or abort it.
Another issue that designer babies raise is that will anything happen to these infants in the near future? This technology is still new, so nobody knows what might happen to them in a couple of years. They might remain healthy or develop problems with their genes that could cause death.
Also, altering the genes of a child may be offensive to those in the religious community. It is believed children are a gift from God and that their appearances and traits cannot be changed by anyone.
In my opinion, modifying the genes of a baby is okay if its sole purpose is to save a child's life. But if it's only used to change the features and traits of an infant to the parents' liking, then I don't think that it is right. This can lead to a stereotype of beauty. If a couple chooses to change their baby's genes so that he or she has brunette hair, green eyes and is tall because they find this beautiful, what about other features and traits? Are they not beautiful as well?
Works Cited:
Amber Angelle. "Genetic Tests to Make a Designer Baby." Popular Mechanics. 1 Jan. 2010. <http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/genetics/4340490>
Keith Kleiner. "Designer Babies - Like It Or Not, Heare They Come." Singularity Hub. 25 Feb. 2009. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/25/designer-babies-like-it-or-not-here-they-come/>
Gautam Naik. "A Baby, Please. Blond, Freckles -- Hold the Colic." The Wall Street Journal. 12 Feb. 2009. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123439771603075099.html>
"Genetic Engineering - Designer Babies." The Future of Human Evolution. 2010 <http://www.humansfuture.org/genetic_engineering_designer_babies.php.htm>
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