Approximately 490,000 babies are born every day worldwide. About 11,000 babies are born each day in the United States alone, which means that at least eight babies are born every minute. Whether a pregnancy is planned for or not, the size, physical characteristics, and intellectual capabilities of a baby are predetermined by the chromosomes that combine in the mother during fertilization. The possibility and probability of a baby having any number of genetic diseases is also determined by genes and the embryo that is fertilized. In 1967, however, a study done by British scientists Robert Edwards and David Gardner paved the way for a life-altering scientific program now known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD (Jha, 1).
Edwards originally became interested in and began researching about couples with infertility problems while attending the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in the 1950’s. Previously, studies had proven that it was possible for egg cells from rabbits to be fertilized outside of the body. It was shown that if sperm was mixed with the egg cells in an appropriate environment, then the embryos could develop successfully without the need for another living system. With this knowledge, Edwards took it upon himself to continue the research at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, where he eventually discovered that it was also possible for human eggs to be fertilized outside of the womb. The first human embryo to be fertilized successfully outside of the human body was documented in 1969, followed by the first “test-tube” baby, Louise Brown, being born in 1978. Just two years later, the world’s first in-vitro fertilization centre, known as the Bourne Hall Clinic, was founded by Edwards and Eng...
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Of?"http://www.siumed.edu/medhum/electives/HealthPolicyMedia/wk5Stock.pdf 22.11 (2003). Rpt. in Designer Babies. Ed. Clayton Farris Naff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 May 2014.
Green distorts the process because PGD doesn’t always work and human traits are influenced by many genes connections. Regene Nolan in her Bio-ethic project of Selection of the best possible child: should relative morals and opinions determine the next generation discusses that after PGD is performed the embryos that are considered free of the genetic problem are placed back in the uterus but the embryos with the genetic disorder are destroyed. Therefore, one of the consequences of PGD is the destruction of
Society is beginning to live in a world where parents can decide the future of their children from their intelligence level to immunity towards illnesses. Science is now capable of selecting a desirable offspring that meets a parent's needs. The idea of a designer baby is a relatively new concept in science that increases the ability to control and manipulate a child before birth. This presents many possibilities for improving the health of children through prenatal diagnosis, but these possibilities are connected with potential social repercussions that could have negative consequences in the future.
Lemonick, Michael, Alice Park, and David Bjerklie. "Designer Babies - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. 11 Jan. 1999. Web. 21 June 2010.
At the early stage, embryos created by a couple are tested as for a tissue match for their existing child suffering from an extremely rare disorder. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is also used in conjunction with Tissue typing when the rare disorder is genetically inherited to ensure that the embryo does not also carry the defective gene4. PTT offers parents the chance of conceiving a child who is an exact tissue match f...
Do you remember when you were young and always wanted to be a superhero? Today, you can virtually create your own child superhero by genetic engineering and designer babies. What color eyes and hair would it have? Would you make it smart, athletic, or both? These are all possible if you choose designer babies instead of natural conception. Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen first established genetic engineering in 1973 (Bellis 1). It wasn’t until around 1996 when they first started to allow parents to choose their babies gender. Though most states do not allow for such detailed genetic engineering to take place, scientists are still conducting research so it will be a more common choice. Science has endless possibilities, but how far is too far when it comes to genetic engineering? Limitations should be placed on genetic engineering and designer babies because of the health risks, religious aspects, and future discrimination.
Thadani, Rahul. "The Public Should Oppose Designer Baby Technology." Designer Babies. Ed. Clayton Farris Naff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Designer Babies Debate." http://www.buzzle.com. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Prenatal genetic testing has become one of the largest and most influencial advances in clinical genetics today. "Of the over 4000 genetic traits which have been distinguished to date, more than 300 are identifiable via prenatal genetic testing" (Morris, 1993). Every year, thousands of couples are subjecting their lives to the results of prenatal tests. For some, the information may be a sigh of relief, for others a tear of terror. The psychological effects following a prenatal test can be devastating, leaving the woman with a decision which will affect the rest of her life.
In recent years, great advancement has been made in medicine and technology. Advanced technologies in reproduction have allowed doctors and parents the ability to screen for genetic disorders (Suter, 2007). Through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, prospective parents undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) can now have their embryo tested for genetic defects and reduce the chance of the child being born with a genetic disorder (Suter, 2007). This type of technology can open the door and possibility to enhance desirable traits and characteristics in their child. Parents can possibly choose the sex, hair color and eyes or stature. This possibility of selecting desirable traits opens a new world of possible designer babies (Mahoney,
In class we watched the film "Gattaca". The movie follows the main character, Vincent, through a dystopian future that uses an advanced version of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). In our world PGD is a medical treatment that involves screening multiple embryos prior to implantation and pregnancy for possible genetic diseases, giving parents the ability to chose the healthiest of the bunch and discarding the rest. However, in the movie they have a much more advanced form of PGD treatment, that gives parents the ability to screen for desired traits other then just possible diseases. Both the movie and PGD itself bring up very controversial questions regarding topics like possible discriminations and the nature of the treatment. Although
There is also an extensive range of social implications related to the process of PGD that come in the forms of economic, ethical, cultural and environmental. PGD provides an opportunity to eliminate a disease within a family (if the disease is inheritable and a single-gene disease). This is because through PGD, the embryos carrying the specific disease will not be used for implantation. Parents using PGD on all of their children will allow all of the children to not carry the disease and pass it on to their own children, and the danger for future generations will no longer exist from that family. This can aid in finances due to money not being spent that would have been required to compensate issues surrounding diseases or disabilities as
As the medical field expands, it is nearly destroying every moral thing we stand for. We need to find the moral line and stand our ground. Prenatal genetic testing is a complicated topic for several families. This procedure is arranged in order to predict the health of
"The Need to Regulate 'Designer Babies'." Designer Babies. Ed. Clayton Farris Naff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Need to Regulate 'Designer Babies,'." Scientific American (May 2009). Opposing Viewpoints in Contex
Prenatal genetic screening in particular is a polarizing topic of discussion, more specifically, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). PGD is one of the two techniques commonly used to genetically screen embryos in vitro; it is usually done at the eight-cell stage of division. PGD is most often performed when there is the risk that one or both parents carry disease-causing mutations. It is extensively used by high-risk individuals trying to conceive babes who will be free of particular mutations. PGD can test for over 50 genetic conditions and even allows for sex selection if there are underlying gender-associated medical conditions. When the results are satisfactory, the selected embryo is implanted into the mother’s uterus. While a controversial technique, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is one example of some of the good genetic testing can do, more benefits will be furthe...
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) has been one of the most controversial medical topics of today. Also commonly known as test tube conception, IVF is a medical procedure of the joining of a woman’s egg and a male’s sperm in a laboratory dish or test tube. “In Vitro” comes from a Latin origin literally meaning “outside the body”, hence the technique. Normally, fertilization takes place inside a woman’s body. The fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the womb and continues to grow until the baby is born nine months later, this process being completely natural and known as an unassisted conception. On the other hand, IVF is a form of ART, assistive reproductive technology. Due to a woman’s infertility or a male’s low sperm count, different measures, like this technique, are taken in order for a couple to bear children.