Designer Babies
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a designer baby is "a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics." (Thadani 2). Technology such as in vitro fertilization, prenatal testing, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis allows for the development of a designer baby. Parents of a yet unborn child should have the right to choose specific traits of their offspring.
Aldous Huxley envisioned a future in which natural reproduction in mankind would be eliminated due to advances in fertility technology in his 1932 novel, Brave New World. He believed expecting parents would decide in advance their child's physical appearance as well as his or her mental abilities, including height, eye color, hair color, and gender. According to Huxley, embryos could be genetically altered to meet their requests. Though this may seem unreal and unlikely, some scientists claim the technology will be available to do this very soon("Designer Babies" 1). "In the next several decades, new biotechnology may allow parents to create 'built-to-order' babies by manipulating genetic material" (Smith 1).
In the present, the only way to choose specific traits in humans is through embryos created through in vitro fertilization or IVF. The term "in vitro" is Latin for "within the glass," causing most babies conceived through IVF to carry the name "test tube babies." In reality, though, fertilization occurs in petri dishes and the babies form inside the mother's womb (Bliss 12-13).
The main component of the designer baby process is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. This method is used to scree...
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...ineering Should Be Allowed." Genetic Engineering. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Building Baby from the Genes Up." Washington Post. 13 Apr. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Discus. 27 Mar. 2014.
"Screening Creates Disease Free Baby." Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: GAle, 2006. 477-479. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Discus. 27 Mar. 2014.
Smith, Heather J. "Customized Kids May Be The Wave of The Future." Science & Theology News 5.10 (2005): 34. Science Reference Center. Discus. 31 Mar. 2014.
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." 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Discus. 24 Mar. 2014.
Once altered, the baby will have no say in how its cells are used, or traits they wish to keep but no longer will have the chance too. Some designer babies are created to help others through transplants. Even though the intention may be decent, it is still taking away the child's chance to have a choice in his body. Certain transplants are painful, such as a bone marrow transplant, and creating the child to be used as a donor could possibly put him through involuntary pain.
Catalano, Michael. "The Prospect of Designer Babies: Is It Inevitable?" The People, Ideas, and Things (PIT) Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Most people agree, in general, that designer babies are taking over and it is it’s a good thing. A designer baby is a human embryo that parents set , to produce desirable traits. According to Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection , Fertility Institutes in Los Angeles offered to let parents select their children’s hair and eye color. Crazy to think you’d be able to build your own baby. The process of creating this designer baby would be embryos modified to predetermine intellect , physical prowess , and beauty. People may question designer babies but “if you think women have the right to control their bodies , then they should be able to make this choice” right? (Citation?) There is a lot of science into creating a designer baby.
After the discovery of genetically altering an embryo before implantation, “designer babies” was coined to describe a child genetically altered “to ensure specific intellectual and cosmetic characteristics.” (“Designer Babies” n.p.). This procedure combines genetic engineering and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to make sure certain characteristics are absent or present in an embryo (Thadani n.p.). The procedure also includes taking an embryo to be pre-implementation genetically diagnosed (PGD), another procedure that doctors use to screen the embryos (Stock n.p.). An embryo’s DNA goes through multiple tests to obtain an analysis of the embryo, which will list all the components of the embryo including genetic disorders and physical traits such as Down syndrome, blue eyes, and brown hair, for instance (Smith 7). Although the use of PGD is widely accepted by the “reproductive medical community” and the modifying of disorders or diseases is to a degree, once the characteristics are no longer health related “72% disapprove of the procedure” (“Designer Babies” n.p.). At this point the parents make decisions that would alter their child’s life forever and this decision is rather controversial in the U...
However, stakeholders are those who play a crucial part and stand to benefit, or lose from it. The four main stakeholders here are (1) the babies who are the most affected stakeholders, not able to make choices for themselves; (2) their parents who wants the best for their children; (3) the government who is accountable for the laws and regulations of PGD; and (4) the researchers or medical institutions who depend on government approval to research and allow medical institutions to carry out their work (Stakeholders in Designer Babies, 2009).
For just thousands of dollars more, women going through in vitro fertilization can later choose to have a certain gender with perfect vision, a great heart, a natural ability for sports, and being able to avoid diseases (Angelle). Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis was first inaugurated in 1990. “It has become an important complement to the presently available approaches for prevention of genetic disorders and an established clinical option in reproductive medicine” (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis). This has come in handy because it gives you the opportunity to create a baby free of health risks and you are able to freeze your eggs if you miscarry or if something harmful goes wrong with the first egg. Designer babies are created using In Vitro Fertilization. Using this technique, doctors can fertilize the egg with sperm inside the laboratory using a test tube. Doing so you can reduce the chance of the child being born with a genetic disorder and the parents can actually then on choose the sex of the baby. In some cases couples have used PGD to their advantage to save one of their children. Some babies sole purpose is to be created to save the life of their own sibling. Jamie was the first “designer” baby in Britain. “He was genetically matched to his four-year-old brother, Charlie, in the hope to curing a rare type of anaemia which threatens the older boy...
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a society in which science has clearly taken over. This was an idea of what the future could hold for humankind. Is it true that Huxley’s prediction may be correct? Although there are many examples of Huxley’s theories in our society, there is reason to believe that his predictions will not hold true for the future of society.
At one point in time, if someone was infertile then they couldn’t have kids. There was nothing that could be done. Not anymore. Now doctors can provide them another option called in vitro fertilization. Not only that but biomedical engineers have advanced this field to even greater extents. They can use gene manipulation to prevent certain genetic diseases such as asthma, muscular dystrophy and even greatly reduce the chances of disease rampant in the family history, such as breast cancer. One of these ways is the "three parent" idea. Reproductive surgeons will use the mother’s egg, but replace the mitochondria that contains the disease with second healthy mitochondria from a different mother resulting in three parents total. Contributing to the genetics of the offspring, scientists are projecting a new possibility: designer babies. These would be completely "customized" children. Manipulation of eye color, hair color, facial structure, height, size, numerous other changes are all possibilities. This is a modern field of medicine covering new ground. However these designer babies present major ethical issues. People feel scientists are taking full control of nature and lines are being crossed that shouldn't be. For example a scientist wanted her kid to look like her, therefore she implanted an embryo into herself and had a blonde hair blue eyed baby, just as she wanted, but should be genetically impossible. This research in designing a baby should be regulated; it is ideal for preventing devastating diseases that will worsen a human’s future life but completely controlling a baby's appearance and possibly their personality, though possible, should be illegal in the United States.
...ngerous game to play and included unpredictable risks but this is promising and worthy to try. However, designer babies bring a new hope to many families, a solution to pollution and future. People will debate about PGD’s ethical and liberty for long, but the value of technique has estimated and proved. Therefore, scientists do not have a power of God, but they have brave and power of knowledge. If they can ensure designer babies’ benefits, what stop us to say yes?
Huxley makes references in his book that would be abnormal or out of place in the 19th century, however in the 21st century these topics are not uncommon. In Brave New World there are many references to genetic engineering, drugs, social acceptance, death, and technology. All of these topics are covered in today’s society, they are part of our daily life.
The novel, Brave New World, takes place in the future, 632 A. F. (After Ford), where biological engineering reaches new heights. Babies are no longer born viviparously, they are now decanted in bottles passed through a 2136 metre assembly line. Pre-natal conditioning of embryos is an effective way of limiting human behaviour. Chemical additives can be used to control the population not only in Huxley's future society, but also in the real world today. This method of control can easily be exercised within a government-controlled society to limit population growth and to control the flaws in future citizens. In today's world, there are chemical drugs, which can help a pregnant mother conceive more easily or undergo an abortion. In the new world, since there is no need...
Coker, Jeffrey Scott. "Genetic Engineering Is Natural and Should Be Pursued." Genetic Engineering, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
One of the most pressing issues in Brave New World is the use of science and technology and how it affects people’s lives. In the novel, technology is far more advanced than it was in Huxley’s time. One of the main uses of technology in the book is for making human beings. Humans are no longer born, but rather “decanted (Huxley 18).” Technology and science are used to make an embryo into whatever kind of human that is desired. Some embryos are even deprived of oxygen in order to make the person less intelligent much like a soggy piece of pizza.
A designer baby is a child who is genetically modified for the purpose of removing any defects that are genetically linked, and/or to select certain genes that appeal to the parents. This process of creating designer babies is called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the alteration of DNA by adding and/or removing certain genes. Since the discovery of human genetic modification, scientists have proposed the idea of
In most countries in our world, society has experienced technological advances to the point of being able to accomplish what Huxley envisioned. In contrast to Huxley’s vision, the moral standards of most nations allow all humans to enjoy basic human rights that embrace family, personal relationships, and individualism. Today’s society is able to comprehend how with the technological advances Huxley’s world could be a reality, but with the privilege of a democratic society, civilization would not allow the medical intervention for reproduction, the conditioning for happiness and consumerism. Work Cited "Brave New World by Aldous Huxley : Barron's Notes" Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Barron's Notes. N.p., n.d. Web.