“Designer” Babies
March 9, 2011 by Derek Ries
Recently, the ideas behind “designer” babies have come into topics of debate. With the rapid advancement in genetic engineering, in 10 years time, bio engineers will not only be able to screen an embryo for it’s gender or presence of genetic disease, but will also be able to point out physical and psychological traits. With rise in reproductive technologies, many are concerned where it will stop, and with the absence of Federal law and state implementation to limit these practices, many believe the process of childbirth will get turned over onto its head.
The term “Designer” Babies refers to the use of genetic technologies to favorably alter embryos, and through this process, artificially choose advantageous or aesthetic characteristics. To choose or discard particular genes, Bio engineers must fertilize the egg outside the mother’s body.
Currently, technologies allow for parents to select healthy embryos, free of genetic diseases. As stated in the textbook, genotypes contain information that define a person’s individual traits, and are transmitted through the parent’s eggs and sperm. A specific form of a genotype is an allele; corresponding genes from parents with different alleles, are known as being heterozygous of a trait, and despite the fact that characteristics of the dominant allele are expressed, the recessive allele will be passed on. An adverse outcome can occur when two parents, both carrying this recessive allele, transmit it to their child, possibly resulting in a disorder. In present time, parents are able to prescreen embryos to distinguish the presence of a genetic disorder, such as Phenylketonuria. These screenings are good because they prevent children from being born with irregular traits; however, many feel that as we get more familiar and accustomed with this process, it will be used unethically.
If genetic science continues at this rate, parents will be personally crafting their children from the embryo, replacing unfavorable traits with superior ones, and engineering genes outside of the fetus. The general public would argue that scientists would undoubtedly be playing the role of god. But ‘if there is a will, there is a way’ and in our capitalist economy, the ‘way’ is parent’s deep pockets. Forget about our elite class of today; before we know it, there will be the superior elites created by bioengineers looking to make a name for themselves in this field with seemingly endless future potential.
http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989987-1,00.html
