Designer Babies? A ridiculous idea? Maybe, but when has a ridiculous idea ever stopped man from trying?
Firstly, what is a designer baby? Well, it's a baby we can design ourselves, basically. Apparently we're able to choose everything from its gender to it eye colour.
However, this technology was originally used to screen baby embryos to be able to detect any kind of genetic mutations so healthy embryos can be selected. But of course humans, being the unreasonably optimistic species that we are, decided to think up ways using this technology to modify the embryo itself so the baby will come out exactly how they want it to.
Isn’t this playing God? Yeah, pretty much. But people have been trying to play God for some time now, so it isn’t all that surprising. The controversial issues of this subject are fairly straightforward; both sides have their reasons for choosing to reject or accept this idea. There are those who believe it’s the parents’ decision and should have the freedom to choose, and those who believe it’s flat out morally wrong, you are supposed to accept whatever you are given.
However, no one has actually tried this yet, thankfully. This is a mere scenario thought up by journalists who believe that this technology could be used this way. And they’re not too far off on that assumption either. Apparently, some time last year, a Los Angeles fertility clinic had opened a program that offered parents the ability to decide what their baby would look like once conceived. Public outrage ensued and the program was shut down. That outcome was obviously to be expected.
Going slightly off-topic, what is the origin of the designer baby?
There is a procedure that allows parents to screen the sperm and the embryo for any kind of genetic mutation or disorder. This is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD, also known as embryo screening. This is a good way for couples using IVF to make sure the embryos and sperm being used for conception will produce a healthy baby.
So how did this ‘designer baby’ idea emerge from a prenatal diagnosis test?
Well, this procedure allows one to look at the chromosomes from either sex cell to be able to look for anything out of the ordinary. This includes the chromosomes responsible for gender. If we know what sex cells are carrying which chromosomes then we could in turn decide what sex cells to use to get a certain gender. It is, however, illegal in some places to choose the gender of their baby and will only be allowed if the family has a history of sex-related diseases or disorders.
But what’s the harm in creating designer babies? Aside from morals, it’s not like we’re doing anything harmful to the child itself right? A simple modification in hair or eye colour isn’t going to do anything bad right?
But we forget one main factor when it comes to genetic modification. It doesn’t always go the way we want it to. Sure we could start modifying embryos and eventually we’ll end up with our desired blonde-haired, green-eyed baby girl. But how many tries would it have taken to get the embryo just right?
We can use cloning as an example. Statistics show that in reproductive cloning (Where an empty donor egg is injected with genetic material from the original subject and is placed into a surrogate mother once it has been treated to begin cell division) more than 90% of attempts fail to create offspring. So let’s say, out of 100 eggs, only one of them actually makes it. Well, you’ve got one cloned animal, but 99 deformed ones.
Wouldn't the same rules apply to our ‘designer babies’? So for one designer baby we’d have about 99 (or more) deformed humans. Unlike failed animal clones, we can’t just kill them off. With this in mind, can we really say we aren’t harming the child? No, I don’t believe we can.
My opinion on designer babies is that it’s ridiculous and morally wrong. Each baby is a unique fusion of two people into one being. How the baby ends up looking is up to God, not man. I mean if it’s about making sure your child doesn’t end up with some kind of genetic disorder that could endanger their life then ok, that’s acceptable; but changing the baby purely for cosmetic reasons is just plain shallow. Are people really that unsatisfied with what they get in life that they are willing to modify their own children? It’s like saying that you only want the child if it looks a certain way. That’s not what parenthood is about at all. Parenthood is about cherishing the little bundle of joy you are given.
So instead of being so worked up over playing God, just be thankful for the special little infant you have been blessed with.
Sources:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/designerdebate/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123439771603075099.html
http://www.bionetonline.org/English/content/db_cont2.htm
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml#organsQ
Pictures:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/regulate-designer-babies_1.jpg
http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-DC896_DESIGN_NS_20090211191015.gif
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gri/lowres/grin136l.jpg
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gri/lowres/grin136l.jpg
Commented On:
Kayla's Bio Blog- http://kaykay-93.blogspot.com/2009/11/designer-babies.html
Ellier's Biology Blog- http://ellier-bioblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/blue-eyes-or-brown-eyes-would-you-like.html
