Designer Babies

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During World War II, Adolf Hitler was determined to create a “master race” of people with white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He believed people possessing these specific traits were superior over others, and that these “superior humans” should be the only people in existence. To put his beliefs into action, he enforced abolishment of those considered to be “inferior humans”, breeding of people who met his requirements, and scientific experimentation to change people’s outward appearances to his ideal. Are modern day “designer babies” any different? After all, they are created by following a certain criteria of what someone wants them to be. I believe that although there are situations in which this science is needed (such as serious medical conditions of the child the science is being performed on). However, when it comes to using this science to create your ideal child, it’s immoral and going against nature, and people’s good intentions can lead to bad circumstances. Designer babies are infants whose certain traits are chosen through a variety of scientific methods. In the United States, this science has been used for preventing and getting rid of serious medical conditions, such as different cancers and fatal diseases. However, it has been illegal to use it for traits you simply want your child to have, such as eye color, hair color, etc. Although this may be, there have been situations in which the rules have been bent, because there can be a fine line between medical needs and personal preferences. There are a variety of methods used that can create someone’s “perfect child”. One that has been tested on mice and has been discussed to be tested on humans is the insertion or duplication of the genome NR2B (... ... middle of paper ... ...erfection does not exist. Works Cited Agar, Nicholas. “Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations.” ActionBioscience.org. American Institute of Biological Sciences. April 2006. Web. 2 Feb 2011. . Freely, Maureen. “Designer Babies and Other Fairy Tales.” The Informed Argument. Ed. Robert K. Miller. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. 425-28. Print. Lemonick, Michael D. et al. “Designer Babies.” TIME. 11 Jan 1999. Web. 27 Jan 2011. . McElroy, Wendy. “Victims from Birth.” The Informed Argument. Ed. Robert K. Miller. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. 429-31. Print Steere, Mike. “Designer Babies: Creating the Perfect Child.” CNN.com/technology.CNN. 30 Oct 2008. Web. 28 Jan 2011. .

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