Designer babies: our future?

The power to change the human species is an issue of great importance. Genetic scientists believe, in the next few decades, we might be able to design our future babies—to choose the features we want our children to have even before they are born. For example, we could choose to have a beautiful, intelligent, or warm-hearted child.

In addition, we might be able to have our unborn child’s genes tested to detect any genetic disorders and have doctors modify a defective gene or even replace it to make sure our child is born disease-free. Advances in genetic engineering techniques may soon give us this power to change the human species, but do we want that power?

It’s important to think about this question. It raises serious ethical questions: Would this technology be available only for the rich? What if everyone decided to have only boys? What if everyone chose to have only extremely intelligent babies? What if people chose characteristics for their babies for the wrong reasons? What if...? What if...?

Read this BBC World News article, Designing babies: the future of genetics to learn more.

Post a comment. What is your opinion about genetically engineering a child? Is it right to choose or change a child's genes? Why or why not?

Comments

[Miguel]

Its wrong changing the sex and the eye color of your kid it basically puts a value on it and having babys is priceless they contain your own being and you take that away there not your son there your scientific lab experiment....but as far as medical reasons yea im ok with that itll provide healthier babies prevent diseases and stuff

[Britt]

Some people have been ignorantly posting which disappoints me. I hope you can learn to see both sides of the debate without having to use any type of slang or attacking each other personally. My view would be that selecting your child's genetic make up before the child is born is perfectly ethical. This is because scientists and geneticists are not focusing on the cosmetic and physical aspects of the situation. We are using them to eliminate hereditary problems and prescreening to identify embryos that will have cancer. Sure eye color and hair color can be selected with 80% accuracy at this point in time, but this does not mean we will create a perfect race by any means. Every person finds beauty in different things, otherwise we would all be the same person. For example, I personally think red hair is beautiful where as you may think blonde is. Another thing you might want to consider is that these options are already available to our children when they become older. For example, people can dye their hair, can get almost any type of plastic surgery, and can take steroids. Most of these things that are available to the public cannot be changed by a "designer baby". So truly, we have had this around for years and no one has had a problem with it.

[soph]

i think its wrong
they should be how babys should be a surprise
but the thing is
it can be good and prevent illness and help the children. but they sex and looks should not be chosed

[anonymous]

hey sluts out there, i feel very sorry for ur children specially if their girls coz they will one day grow up to be like you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anonymous]

in my opinion, i think that designing our own babies is a privilage but hey at the same time we cant play with god and his power, that is why i agree and diagree at the same time beacause i mean sure we can have smart children and give them blue eyes and blonde hair but seriously would that make a difference the child will obviously change features or even his personality so there is no fucken point mother fuckers so why dont u just use ur mind

[B-b-b-Bree]

Designer Babies is such a great idea, if it's used properly. Like, every family must have one girl one boy at least, to keep genders balanced. There are so many problems to think about, but I'm sure we can figure this one out. Let's hope it turns out to be the best!! <3

[Katie]

Hello, I'm doing research on this particular topic, and I just wanted to point out I disagree and agree. Having perfect children would be nice, but so un-natural obviously. God created us a certain way, we should be proud. We shouldn't be judged on our appearences, rather on personalities. Then again, if it can be used to determine smarts, we would be able to advance our medicines and technology so much; or diseases we could stop and/or cure. So many possibilities, can we handle it?

[Emily]

We cannot play God.

[ZEE DRIKY]

yar hAR MAR KAR JAR

[Tina]

I believe that if we did have the freedom to design our babies, the world would become extremely unbalanced. In some countires it is more desired to have a particular gender for a child. If these people were given the liberty to design their babies ( as someone said in one of the comments before) the ratio of men to women will beome unbalanced. In addition every single person is individual and gifted in there own way and if parents chose to design their own babies, individuality and uniqueness would cease to exist. It would also bring in a social barrier between peope who are designed and people who are not. For example it is like using banned substances ( i.e steroids) in sports. Training alone can make someone win, however if an athlete has chosen to take steroids, they are given an unfair advantage unlike the other competitors. Life is like this. If parents were allowed to choose the characteristics of their baby it would give their baby an unfair advantage over others who cannot afford or for other reasons not design their child.

On the other hand , it can be a benefit to humanity because it can rid the world of different types of diseases .Inherent diseases or likeliness of catching a disease because it for example skips a generation would not happen.

Anyway this is my view

[Jennifer Ramsey]

I think Designer babie is a great idea it means i can have a gorgouse boy and beautiful girl im rich so money aint a problem its so good my daughter will win every pageant she enters and my son will just be goreuos ha hahaha ill make y daughter lke jonbenet

[whizzayyy]

designer babies is right people should have the rights to choose if they want a baby to their standards

[mAsTur cEef]

I haz ReCon

LOLOLOLOOLOLLOLO

[Rebecca Gothard]

im also doing a case study on 'designer babies' for my coursework and personally i do think its a good idea to help ill children in that way, but no more only to help the ill sibling with the unbilical chord i dont think it should escalate to anything more ,like picking what your child should look like or what personality they have .That is wrong !

[Mongo Madness]

Stop thinking about cosmetical changes people, sure when you have the opportunity to alter a humans genetic structure you could alter them on a cosmetic basis, but think about blood-borne diseases, epidemics that have been puzzling the scientific and medical world for the past decade. If these types of diseases and infections become outnoded, the scientific world can look to the horizon - the future of society, rather than focus on issues that haven't made much progress for centuries. Seriously, if the oppurtunity comes, people must get their logic running a lot deeper than physical/cosmetic enhancement, there is plenty of that going on already. You could stop heredity based diseases - saving peoples lives and the communities in which they live in. The only irrelevant thing that should be altered is to change whether if the unborn fetus is going to push mongo, because that seriously needs to be stopped. I guess mongo is an epidemic that has puzzled the skateboarding industry for a while too :) Props to the scientists of the modern world that will allow for this to happen.

[Mr X]

Hello all.

I would just like to say that anyone who disagrees with designer babies is so STUPID!

Designer babies are the way of the future. No noobs should talk about a movie in this forum, do some research you tards! Im one of the leading scientists in the field of Genetical Mutation in Unborn Children.

Customising babies will all but enilate every known disease on the planet. We can enhance our childrens immune system to reject every disease. The world will be a smarter, safer and overall better place.

Anyone that disagrees can suck it!

[Clare Smith]

Hello, i am writing to say that i do not agree with designing babies because everyone should appreciate their child no matter how they turn out to be. By choosing what they turn out to be like is harsh!

[Amanda]

The movie G.A.T.T.A.C.A. is about this same situation gone wrong.

The people that had these "designer babies" were at the high point in society, they were considered basically perfect. The parents who couldn't afford to alter the embryos, and had the "regular" children, were looked down upon. They were spit on and discrimminated just because they were normal and born naturally with no alteration. Do we really want this is our society? I think not!!! How would you feel if someone was always better than you, and it wasn't because they tried harder, it was just because they were just born better?

[Amanda]

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE MOVIE G.A.T.T.A.C.A??????

[gigi]

Designer babies is a very bad thing it treats the babies harshly and cruel

[Steve Young]

There are already many chemicals (both 'natural' and 'synthetic') which change gene expression in adults. We are starting to intentionally use these and other techniques to modify our genetic traits for the better. In an unmodified form, our bodies have many limitations which can be overcome via these techniques. We now have the ability to 'enhance' the very code that makes us, why not take advantage of this in a way that will improve the lives of all individuals? Before we started using medical technologies, many people lived brutal and short lives. This is just one more step to transcending what we were. Using our minds that natural evolution produced, we can now accelerate evolution itself through technology. Human beings have not yet reached the limits of our potential by any means.

[john smith]

Designer babies are a bad idea because....

[Carmen]

I think that the world is beautiful because each person has his own personality so I disagree to designer babies I only agree when if is possible with genetics to prevent serious illnesses.

[Mel]

I am doing a case study at the moment about designer babies and I have realised more people disagree than agree, but me personaly I disagree. You should be happy with your child and I definitely will not.

[Akito]

Designer babies could be a good thing, but we really should be careful about the whole, "Let's just create millions of one gender!" idea.

But if designing a child could save a life, or it's own life for that matter, then yeah, it won't be that bad! :)