We all want a flawless, healthy baby, but who would have guessed that it could happen!
What’s a designer baby?
Designer baby, as named by the media, is a baby in which its’ embryos have been prescreened and modified. Presently, there’re only 2 ways to “design” your baby; determining sex and genes, or screening for genetic diseases and then taking only selected genes. They do it by In Vitro Fertilisation.
Right now, you can choose the gender, skin, eye and hair colour. Imagine what you could do within a few decades!
Sounds pretty cool right? But it comes with a price, not just financially, but if your child realizes your selfish actions, you could lose them forever.
IVF is very common amongst couples who’re infertile, but they may have to reattempt IVF several times to succeed. There’re a lot of risks that follow, such as children having genetic defects, and very low birth weight. There’s also an increased rate in women dying during childbirth.
With IVF becoming so popular, scientists have gone further to testing gene modifications on mice, and if it succeeds, they’ll move onto humans. It’s quite terrifying, because they’ve tested traits such as susceptibility to disease, shyness, athletic ability and IQ.
Personally, I feel that designer babies are wrong, in the way that people may be using it to choose physical features that they want. I believe that each and every one of us, as a whole, is given to us and us only by God. We’re all special because we’re different, and parents shouldn’t alter their child, because they should love them for themselves, which is partly them!
But, genetic processing for eliminating diseases isn’t a completely bad idea. Jamie Whitaker born through IVF saved his brother’s life. Put yourself in the shoes of a parent, it’s really heartbreaking to see your child die from a disease they’ve inherited/got while knowing there’s a way of saving them. Sick young children, will always question “Why me?”
For those who’re pro-life, IFV isn’t right because they kill some embryos, and all embryos are a form of life. Sexism kicks in too because some societies favor boys.
Imagine the impact it’ll have on children who know they’ve been genetically altered. Socially, they could be outcasts because other kids may look down on them or tease them.
In the future, if everyone’s been designed and there’s a child that’s been born naturally, they may feel ugly and different. They’ll think that appearance is important and it’s vital to have the perfect baby.
There’s a possibility for more abandoned children because they’re not perfect in their mother’s eyes.
IVF shouldn’t be permitted for beauty desires; appearance is too highlighted in this world, we should accept who everyone is, for who they truly are. Furthermore, if we’re able to determine other traits for our child, it also should be prohibited, as it’s unfair to create humans that have been altered to be better than others. In the end, we’re all just humans.
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| Pause and ponder, Think before you act! |
References
"Beware the Dangers of IVF." The Pregnancy Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.thepregnancyzone.com/age-fertility/beware-of-the-dangers-of-ivf/>.
<http://www.thepregnancyzone.com/age-fertility/beware-of-the-dangers-of-ivf/>.
"The Dangers of IVF." Leave the Lights On. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.leavethelightson.info/the-dangers-of-ivf>.
<http://www.leavethelightson.info/the-dangers-of-ivf>.
"Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations." Action Bio Science. N.p., n.d. Web.
17 Oct. 2010. <http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html>.
17 Oct. 2010. <http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html>.
"Designer babies- For love or science?" Mind Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct.
2010. <http://www.mindmagazine.com/story/designbaby.htm>.
2010. <http://www.mindmagazine.com/story/designbaby.htm>.
"Designer Baby." Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989987-1,00.html>.
A Guided Tour of IVF Procedure. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WypK9TpD34>.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WypK9TpD34>.
"Is IVF Safe? Health Risks of IVF." Leave the Lights On. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct.
2010. <http://www.leavethelightson.info/is-ivf-safe-health-risks-of-in-vitro-fertilization>.
2010. <http://www.leavethelightson.info/is-ivf-safe-health-risks-of-in-vitro-fertilization>.
"Risks of Fertility Treatment." Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <http://www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-treatment-risks.html>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <http://www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-treatment-risks.html>.
"What is a designer baby?" Bio Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm.>
Comments
http://claudia-d-123.blogspot.com/2010/11/whats-wrong-with-my-baby.html#comments
http://bioblog-erica.blogspot.com/2010/11/bundle-of-joy.html#comments
<http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm.>
Comments
http://claudia-d-123.blogspot.com/2010/11/whats-wrong-with-my-baby.html#comments
http://bioblog-erica.blogspot.com/2010/11/bundle-of-joy.html#comments
In my opinion, it's unethical to have to choose what you want your baby to look like. It seems wrong in various ways. Why should we have to choose what gender or what genes we want to baby to have. We should be appreciative of any healthy child regardless of their physical features. I do agree that this is unfair, as well as being unjust. I agree that we are all human beings so we all should be treated as human beings.
ReplyDeleteHi Dora,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I really like that you included a video in your blog, to help explain IVF. (The comics are cute too.)
I think it IS wrong to chose the physical traits of a baby. I like how you talked about, not only the ethical aspects of this process, but also the medical risks. A child could be harmed, and this should not happen for such superficial reasons.
You also mentioned that it's wrong because embryos are lost. It was interesting because until now I didn't think of embryos as already being living things - which they are. However, if it becomes a choice between losing a child to a disease or abortion for the same reason, I think it is the better option. For any other reason, such as certain looks, there is NO excuse.
Btw, I didn't know that we have come so far in this technology as to be able to chose the skin, eye and hair color of a child using IVF. If so, it's not an option that is available to everyone.
Great blog. :)
Hey Dora I completely agree with you, that our image and who we are is given to us by God. We should learn to love what we look like, everybody's different, everybody's unique. It'd be wrong for scientists to experiment on humans, genetics should not be messed with, it's complex and even the slightest mistake could have dire consequences. Good points from beginning to end, the visuals were nice too!
ReplyDeletehey Dora
ReplyDeleteI like that way in which you stated your view on the topic throughtout the blog, yet adding more information on how it can be benefitial would also help others see things from both views. i enjoyed the video it was very informative on showing how the process worked. I believe that using this technique for superficial reasons is moraly wrong yet if used for the right reasons can hold many benefits to it.Great Blog :)
IT is a hot issue, the genetic engineering, which is treated a ethically violence, and i do agree to your point of view, about we should not focus on the physical trait of the next generation but the perceived one. Also from your blog, you give good reference to strengthen your points.
ReplyDeleteIn some occasion, genetic engineering was indeed saving life, as the inborn disorders. And the studies in University was aimed on this direction. We can do nothing on this at the moment,yet in future, when the technology was mature enough, we might use as a last resort of life saving.
Hi Dora, you really opened my eyes on this “Designer Babies” topic. After I’ve done my research I thought that everybody’s blog would be very similar because the websites explained the same concept over and over again. But your picture – the one with a confused baby who has a pair of unfit eyes – made me ponder. The reproductive technologies were invented no matter we want them or not, but we definitely should think before we act. It was interesting that the majority of people are against baby designing other than Catholics. You are right; it’s unfair to play with human traits, trying to create super humans that have been altered to be better than others. I think baby designing shouldn’t been done even for disease preventing purposes. We can never play God’s role to create humans because we are just humans.
ReplyDeleteIVF is an interesting technology; many couples who would otherwise be infertile are now able to have children.
ReplyDeleteThat said, some of its applications can be very shallow.
Our society already places a lot of unnecessary emphasis on appearance. Allowing people to choose their children's traits would only reinforce that.
It's a fine line between choosing to have healthy children vs. choosing to have beautiful children. The latter option is shallow, and frankly, slightly elitist. Nowadays, everyone is trying so hard not to judge by appearance, yet the option of having 'perfect' children is offered to us.
If everyone starts having children who are intelligent, social, beautiful, and athletic, there will always be some people who are not as good in some areas as others, which will push people to take more and more extreme measures.
There are also other things to consider. Would being 'designed' to be athletic be considered cheating at the Olympics? Prejudice can work both ways.
In general, I think that people should tread cautiously around these technologies, as we haven't really examined the possible implications yet.
Overall, nice post, and the video is a great addition.
Like you, I believe that selecting things such as the baby's hair and eye colour is taking it a bit too far. However, I also feel that as long as it’s for averting disease and not engineering human enhancement, then genetic engineering is acceptable. Of course, we must know where to draw the line, because there could be dire consequences ― if we simply stood back and allow people to redesign the human body and human mind, then the human species as we now conceive it would be lost!
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I like how you addressed the different issues associated with designer babies, like the pro-lifes and their perspectives. I can totally see where they’re coming from, as the process of IVF involves loss of life; the ‘murder’ of many embryos ― all considered potential babies ― cannot justify the birth of one child!
Overall, great blog!!
Hey Dora, great bio blog! I agree with you completely. I think IVF and genetic screening is acceptable and even great if you are doing it for health reasons, such as preventing child from being born with a disease. But if parents are using IVF to 'choose' how their child looks like, this is wrong. To me, IVF is 'unatural' to an extent. Parents shouldn't choose the way their babies are supposed to look. If more people are able to do this, we are taking away the gifts that God gave us, including natural reproduction. We are also pushing the side the value of 'being unique.' As humans, we need to accept the fact that we can't control everything in the world.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, IVF can be useful for genetic defects and helping reduce disease and disorder. But on the other hand, it is completely unethical to do so because it is (for a lack of a better word) fashionable. Although technology allows us to do this, we should not be altering genes so that the offspring can be perfect in all kinds of ways. This results to a parent's high expectations of their child, and psychological issues may appear in the child. By doing this, we are not only messing with the art of reproduction, but we are also thinking of a child as a possession and not a gift. We should all be treated with respect and equality, not because we are perfect, but because we are all different and unique.
ReplyDeleteReading your article on designer babies has allowed me to grasp not only the scientific aspect, but also the moral and ethical questions which are presented when dealing with such a revolutionary strive in human development. Your style of writing, the overall aesthetics of the blog, coupled with the controversial topic of designer babies made for a good learning experience.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I do agree with you when saying that altering genes in the name of future health benefits is a magical concept everyone could look forward to. Wouldn't it be grand if science could allow a child who everyone had written off as being handicapped before his/her birth, better off? As with all great scientific advances, one could expect it to be abused.
Secondly, after reading on, I had stumbled upon an issue which I myself had foreseen with such a technology. Does the materialistic world we live in have no limits? Being able to choose the hair and eyes of a baby is outright petty. This is a very valid issue, because there are people in this world who wouldn’t mind having the perfect child to match their persona.
In conclusion, I would like to say that this technology can go either ways; a benefit to the medical world, or a downward spiral for people living in a consumer nation.
Thanks for the insight Dora, and it is safe to say that I agree with your opinion, kudos.
Reading your blog makes me fully agree that our image is chosen by God and we should not alter our appearance. We should love what we like as everyone is different. I also agree that the the future of health should be based on altering genes. I would be a miracle if there were no diseases from an infant such as down syndrome. Technology can go different ways into the future. Let's just hope it turn to the right direction. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Dora, I wasn't aware of some of the side effects IVF can have on the parents, both emotionally and physically. I also wasn't aware that it was so popular. The idea Designer babies can be quite frightening if implemented in our society, after all, everyone would look like picture-perfect dolls. The story of Jamie Whitaker saving his brother's life really gave me a new perspective on IVF. Given the right reasons I believe that IVF can be great. Great blog Dora, I agree with your opinions regarding both the ups and downs of IVF.
ReplyDelete