Designer Babies?
Designer babies are babies whose genetic makeup have been artificially selected through the process of genetic engineering combined with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.
Designer babies are babies whose genetic makeup have been artificially selected through the process of genetic engineering combined with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.
This process was originally used to screen embryos for genetic diseases and select healthy embryos to decrease the chance of a baby being born with genetic disorders. There are many cases where this has been successful and inspiring. The case of Adam Nash could be used as an example. Adam Nash's embryo was selected because it did not contain Fanconi Anaemia, a disorder his sister suffered from . Adam became his sister's keeper doubling her chances of survival.
Left to right: Molly Nash (sister) and 4-week-old, Adam Nash
The IVF process has a high possibility of the woman dying during birth. Moreover, the baby may also be born with a low-birth weight and genetic defects.
Nowadays, this process enables a parent to choose up to gender, hair, eye and skin colour of their future child. Yet, these traits and modifications do not come free. They are extremely expensive!
Ethically these procedures are found wrong. Many believe they are being taken too far and abused. They were meant for medical purposes, but now are used for cosmetic purposes, too.
Society as we know it, is a difficult place to fit in. Imagine a person with a mental illness! Usually they are treated very differently from the average person. Thus, a baby who undergoes IVF to be cured from their illnesses would feel more welcomed into society because they will be no different from another. However, a “designer baby” who discovers they have undergone the process of IVF for cosmetic reasons will feel abandoned by parents and find it hard to be treated average due to their extraordinary intellectual ability and physical attributes.
Personally, I disagree with the idea of “designer babies.” First of all, a person's true beauty comes from the heart and all humans are created in the image of God, appearance shouldn't be stressed. Also, after reading My Sister's Keeper, a story about a young girl who was born to save her sister, it upset me to learn about a girl who did not get the chance to live. She was a “designer baby” that suffered. She had no freedom and wasn't shown the same amount of love her ill sister received, though all the times her sister was in the hospital, so was she. It's just that there are many eager donors that can help. In my opinion, it's just wrong.
Everyone is beautiful in their own and unique way.
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