Biotechnology: Designer Babies

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The scientific term “designer baby” refers to a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in-vitro fertilization or IVF to ensure the presence or the absence of particular genes or characteristics. Doctors and scientist work together to conduct these procedures, and work to advance the technology and options for choosing an unborn child’s traits. Some even refer to “designer babies” as “test tube babies.” The reasoning behind these given names is because before the child is even born, the genes and DNA can be altered in a lab in a petri dish. When families choose IVF for “designer babies,” the doctors use biotechnology to choose what type of baby the family wants. Biotechnology is the exploitation …show more content…

Traits such as gender, appearance, intelligence, disease, and even personality qualities. The technology today allows for major advances in IVF, and can allow parents to edit the soon to be child’s DNA qualities. The idea of parents personally choosing qualities for their unborn child in the past was a profound thought, but today it is very well possible. Doctors can choose the simple things such as gender and eye color, but also, can alter genes and DNA to ensure the child won’t have any default mitochondria, or can help another sibling with diseases. An early and well-known case of gender selection took place in 1996, when A family of Fairfax, Virginia chose to use in vitro fertilization to ensure they conceived a girl.(The Embryo Project Encyclopedia 1). Even though this family's case only involved a choice of gender, it raised the issues of selection for other traits (Embryo Project Encyclopedia …show more content…

There have been multiple “designer baby” procedures in order to fix diseases or to create a child that is a specific copy of a deceased sibling. Many have heard of the book My Sister's Keeper, which later became a movie. There have been multiple accounts where families have edited their unborn child's DNA in order to provide copies what their sick child needs. In one case parents of Britain’s first “designer baby” projected an attack on the critics of these procedures. This Whitaker’s had a four year old child, Charlie, who suffered from Anaemia. The couple decided to have a second child who was genetically matched to their previous child while he was still an IVF embryo. However, after the birth of this altered child, the experts admitted their actions to be unethical. After this birth, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, confirmed to ban the screening process in the UK. This decision forced the WHitakers to go to a U.S. clinic (I’d Do It All Again 1). This family has experienced backlash of “designer babies” first hand. The Whitaker’s have been accused of creating a “spare part baby” Also, statements such as the one Suzi Leather of the HREA said “Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.” (I’d Do It All Again 1). Although the Whitaker’s chose to use IVF to

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