Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence in an Urban Context

Imagine having your own “build a baby,” made just the way you would want it to be. You get to choose the sex of the child, the hair color, eye color, whether the child will be tall or short, how intelligent they will be, the personality they will have, favorable traits the child will have in their genes, etc. This is the “designer” baby, designed just for you. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, until a decade ago it was. Now, parents are able to predetermine their baby’s sex, and someday soon with the latest genetic testing techniques, parents can will be able to screen their unborn children before conception on a range of attributes.  Eventually they will be able to change or remove undesired traits and replace them with the genes they want. Sounds a bit like science-fiction? Maybe, but this is the future that we and our unborn children will soon be exposed to.

In chapter two of the text, we learn that our genetics may influence the traits and at times the genetic disorders we will receive from our parents. These traits may help us adapt to our environment. Also, our sex is predetermined only by our father’s sperm, an X or a Y from our father and a given X from our mother, combined will determine whether we become a female or a male. Unfortunately, this process, in which we and our ancestors were born and acquired abilities, the traditional way, is said to eventually be non-existent. Babies will be manufactured for your liking and gift-wrapped for you.

To some this may be the perfect solution in order to avoid the chances of the child being born with a genetic disorder or disability. Only successful traits and healthy genes will be given to the child. Although this is a perfect way to get what we want in our children, one must acknowledge the ethical factors. Is this new development ethical? This may lead to parents’ false expectations of  their children. If for example the parents wanted the child to be smart, but the child does not succeed in being so, the parents will be disappointed because they invested a lot of money and they didn’t receive what they wanted.  Also, changing the genetic formations of the child may be harmful in its enhancement.  There needs to be a certainty that this will be beneficial for the child as well.  However, we must also consider that human nature runs its own course, despite our trying to change the outcomes.