Curing the Future: Designer Babies Diseases and outbreaks have been becoming more and more common in the world lately. Scientists have thought of a way to reduce these outbreaks and even diseases in general: designer babies. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, allows doctors to screen embryos to see if the child will have any genetic defects before the embryos are placed into a woman’s uterus for pregnancy. If doctors find anything abnormal, they use In Vitro Fertilization to create babies in ‘test tubes’ and they will insert new genes and DNA in a special laboratory (What is a…). Many parents choose this option because if they discover that their child could have a genetic disease, they will replace the faulty DNA with healthy DNA so the child does not contract the disease or illness (What is a…). Many parents will also consider In Vitro Fertilization if their family history is familiar with genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sach’s or Down syndrome. With the help of In Vitro Fertilization, they can ensure that their child will not develop the disorder. This procedure can also be used in other ways. For example, if a couple has a child without In Vitro Fertilization and ends up contracting an illness only certain people will be able to …show more content…
The future of the designer baby can either impact the world in a positive way or a negative way. Scientists and doctors will either stop the spread of genetic disease and disability completely, or they can create a whole new and unknown character to the world. No matter what, parents will do whatever they can to stop genetic diseases from spreading to their future young ones, even “designing” them in a test tube, even if it means a doctor can make a small mistake and introduce a whole new and unknown disease to humanity. No matter the outcome of designer babies, they will impact the world, whether it be curing man-kind or exterminating man-kind for all of
The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering also show that genetic engineering can lead to overpopulation and wars. First of all, in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., everyone is the same and they have strict laws. In Harrison Bergeron, people are made to be the same by putting weights on strong people, making beautiful people wear ugly masks, and hindering smart people’s thoughts. In Jonas’ community, there is Sameness, which is making everything the
Designer babies have been the debate for a few years now, placed upon a shaky moral platform. With human science pushing the boundaries of human genetics further and further, many are questioning if designer babies have finally crossed the line in science. The problem is that people view designer babies on a moral perspective rather than a medical one. Designer babies should be tolerated because they can help parents prevent their offspring from having certain diseases and disabilities.
Throughout the past few hundred years, humans have been attempting to improve the human race, particularly through eugenics. The quick response is to look to science for facts to pick superior traits. The global society want the future to be smart, athletic, disease free, and happy. Education and medication could not completely solve this desire, so it went to purifying the gene pool. The American Eugenics Movement gained momentum throughout the early twentieth century and dwindled in the late 60s.
In the ever-changing world of science, in vitro fertilization has taken fertility to another level. In “Test-Tube Babies: Solution or Problem?” Ruth Hubbard describes just how in vitro fertilization works and the many risks factors the procedure brings with it. Hubbard gives her audience statistical evidence of women with unsuccessful pregnancies then follows it with historical evidence about the first women to ever receive in vitro Louise Brown in July, 1978. Although one might conclude that Hubbard would support in vitro she makes a shocking statement “But as a woman, a feminist, and a biologist, I am opposed to using it and developing it further.”
Alexis Wolf Professor Julia Gousseva October 29th 2017 Critical Reading 112 Are designer babies the future? Just think about it, designing the traits of your future child to look specifically however you want. The article “The Life Editor” by Michael Page discusses the idea of scientifically modifying genes and the possibilities the methods of gene editing can hold. Page describes the new innovation called CRISPR gene editing.
As technology advances, more things become possible. One of these things is genetically modifying a baby, this is very wrong. Genetic modifying or genetic engineering is altering someone or something’s DNA. Scientists hope to cure diseases with this method but doing this can lead to some harmful effects. This process is very unethical.
Why? How could you live in a world that you had a beautiful baby but it is now a designer baby. And studies show that “ 3 out of 10 people who opt for having a designer baby feel that they can make their babies immortal(living forever)”. Yes that could be a good thing
Editing of the human genome in the past has been only a sight seen in dystopia works such as Brave New World. Now, genetic enhancement is a prevalent today and people are beginning to realize the issues that can arise from creating these designer babies. Gene editing can be helpful to eradicate life changing disabilities. Yet, the term disability does not correctly label these differently abled people, as the idea of what is considered disabled has changed overtime. To fully understand the consequences and implications of genetic selection and enhancement of human embryos, society must mature and declare lines of what is and is not ethically moral.
One con is that there can be a termination of embryos. This means a miscarriage and that wouldn’t be good because you would pay so much money for the baby and the baby could die. There is also another con and that is that there is a possibility of there being damage to the gene pool. In other word this means that it can increase or decrease the genes in the baby and the next generation. Also the genetics of the baby can come out imperfect.
Therefore, if two parents are carriers of a certain gene that will disable their child, they can modify that gene to make a child that will not have that disability. As well as some parents will have designer babies to save another child they already have with a certain disease. In this method, parents will choose their child’s blood type and such in order for them to match that other diseased child and potentially give them their blood, marrow, and even organs. Genetically modifying a child’s chance of disease ensures that a child may live a life without potential disease and disability that they may have been more prone to had their parents’ not used this method. This also ensures a healthy life for a child that had a greater potential of having a medical condition due to their parents being carriers of that particular gene.
In 1932, Aldous Huxley imagined and wrote about a world where designer baby technology is prevalent in his science-fiction novel, Brave New World. The technology would not come until many years later, but his ideas still hold up today. In the book, there were different classes depending on how genetically modified one was, including Alpha or Beta (“The Public Should Oppose Designer Baby Technology”). Outside of science fiction, though, is real science where an actual baby can be genetically modified before even being born. A designed baby is one that is purposefully shaped to be one way or another through processes including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), where an egg is fertilized and genetically altered, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis
In vitro fertilization is the process by which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside of the body and then the embryo or embryos are then transferred to the uterus. This process has been used since the 1970’s and doctors keep finding ways to improve it. People worldwide have a very divided opinions about the use of IVF. Some see it as an opportunity to have a family and being able to have kids at an age where they feel comfortable enough, instead of having kids at an early age because of the risks that they would have if they wait. Women also have a better chance of getting their preferred job position if they know that they do not have to decide between a healthy baby or their job.
In many countries, it is illegal to create a designer baby, but in the United States, there is no law against it (Knoepfler, The Ethical Dilemma of Designer Babies, TedTalk). In his TedTalk, “The Ethical Dilemma of Designer Babies,” stem cell and genetics researcher, Paul Knoepfler, states the long-term risks of designer babies, describing it as “a kinder, gentler, positive eugenics.” He also touches on government involvement in this researcher; “I also think it 's not that unlikely that governments might start taking an interest in genetic modification. So for example our imagined GM Jenna child who is healthier, if there 's a generation that looks like they have lower healthcare costs, it 's possible that governments may start trying to compel their citizens to go the GM route.” I agree with many points Knoepfler makes in his TedTalk.
Everyone is entitled to choose their own lifestyle, whether they want to have a child or not. Some females who seek to have children find it easy, although some are unfortunate. There are numerous of reasonings, such as being too old to be pregnant, damage to the Fallopian tube or uterus and cancer radiation or chemotherapy. As our generation goes on, many discoveries revolving biology is produced and one of it is the In Vitro Fertilization or “IVF”. It is the procedure of fertilization where they save sperm sample, take an egg from the women and physically combining it in a laboratory dish where the egg and the sperm is now called an embryo.
“The main arguments against genetic modification of human embryos are that it would be unsafe and unfair, and that modification would quickly go beyond efforts to reduce the incidence of inherited maladies” (Caplan). During the altering genes in the mother 's womb cause a lot of dangerous situations and