Designer Babies: Genetically Enhancement Technology

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Recommended: Ethical / moral issues of gene therapy

How far is society willing to advance genetic enhancement technology before it becomes a moral wrong? Medical technology is well on the way to allowing parents to create designer babies, permitting parents to pick physical and internal qualities of unborn children. Due to the advance in technology allowing parents to genetically designer their own child, The American Medical Association (AMA) should create stronger codes of medical ethics and acts imposing limitations. The manipulating with embryos in order to create a parent’s ideal child is morally wrong, and should be against codes of ethics. In order to create a fine line between enhancement that prevents disease and birth defects, and the self-absorbed society that prefers children with little to no flaws; laws of ethics in medical practice need to be implemented. Therefore, with distinguished lines on medical ethics, society will not become divided and unrecognizable due to genetically enhanced humans.
Overview of the Problem
First and foremost, engineers are advancing medical technology, allowing for the enhancement of children before they are born. Mothers and fathers would be deciding a child’s genes, including interests, appearance, and talents. Parents would become self absorbed and obsessed with the idea of a perfect child. When in fact Shaw notes, “something that is not perfect can nonetheless be valuable” (409). The child’s freedom of choice would be jeopardized. Kids would no longer be able to decide if they want to play a sport or learn an instrument, it would be imbedded in their DNA. Religion is also in conflict with the creation of designer babies. A parent deciding every gene of their child is against God’s will. Children are meant to grow and develop into w...

... middle of paper ...

...nology would be put to greater use, as well as save society. All in all, instead of designer babies becoming an enhancement, society would be devastated by destruction.

Works Cited

"About the Ethics Group." American Medical Association, n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. .
Dahl, Edgar. "Babies By Design: A Response To Martin Johnson's Moral Case Study On Tissue Typing." Reproductive Biomedicine Online (Reproductive Healthcare Limited) 9.6 (2004): 597-598. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 May 2014.
Davis, John. "Selecting Potential Children And Unconditional Parental Love." Bioethics 22.5 (2008): 258-268. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 May 2014.
Shaw, David. "Deaf By Design: Disability And Impartiality." Bioethics 22.8 (2008): 407-413. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 May 2014.

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