Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence in an Urban Context

Within the last decade the idea of “designing” your child has gained momentum. Parents are now able to choose the desired characteristics that they would like their children to have. Specifically, one can choose whether you would like a male or female offspring. One can also opt to terminate any pregnancy that consists of a child with some kind of abnormality. At this point in time parents cannot choose their child’s hair color, eye color, muscular build, personality, etc. but eventually with further research and technological advancement it all seems possible.

The evolution of humans is a part of nature. Who are we to interfere with nature?! Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest” explains why we inherit the traits and characteristics that we currently have from our ancestors. As the human species evolves we continue to pass on the necessary traits to survive to future generations. Our existence is naturally perfected. Through natural selection those features that will suit our needs will continue to be passed on therefore there is no need for humans to take it upon themselves to make such selections.

In the case of diseases that are hereditary then the idea of a “designer baby” is more conceivable. If the purpose of designing the child is to avoid passing on a genetic disorder then I don’t object to that, as I am sure few others would too. Currently one technology that does this is preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), where an individual at risk of passing on a genetic disorder to their offspring have a collection of embryos created for them by in vitro fertilization (IVF). These embryos are grown to the eight-cell stage at which point they are checked for variants carrying the genetic disorder, those embryos that lack the variants carrying the disorder are then introduced into the womb. Children are a difficult task as is, I can only imagine how hard it must be to have a child with a disability, therefore it is not something all parents can handle and if you can avoid it then why not.      – http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html

However, who decides where we draw the line on how much can you contribute to the “design” of your child. The idea of creating “designer babies” is both a moral and ethical problem. We currently live in a society obsessed with beauty and perfection. Who is to decide what are the desirable features is a human being. This can bring about an even greater problem for society. Those who don’t satisfy the criteria for a desirable look will be rejected and subject to annihilation. Humans are not only a product of their genetic build but of their environment as well. Rather than trying to change the genetic build-up of future generations we should try to foster a better more nurturing and healthy environment for them to grow-up in. No matter your physical appearance it is proven that if you are raised in an environment that consists of nurturing and fosters learning and support then you are more apt to participate in society. Perfect example is people born with Down Syndrome, these individuals face a huge set back with their disability but when raised in an environment where they are provided with love and care they are able to excel in a “normal” society. Therefore theres no reason why someone born with no genetic abnormality shouldn’t be able to thrive and excel in our society regardless of their sex, physical appearance, and/or genetic build-up as long as they are raised in a positive environment.