Ethical Designer Babies

Introduction

As stated by the Cambridge Dictionary a designer baby is, "a baby whose genes have been chosen by its parents and doctors so that it has particular characteristics." This means that before a child is born its parents could choose its gender, eye color, athletic build, skin tone, and whether it can have certain genetic diseases. As of right now this has yet to become practical, although parents can pre-select embryos before they are implanted. Then, through preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), which allows them to see certain genetic traits, can decide which to implant, but they cannot yet choose what features their child will have. The possibility of choosing the appearance of the child has raised the question: is this

Within the past thirty years parents have been able to choose which embryo they prefer after undergoing PGD. Initially this was just used to discover if the embryo had a predisposition to harmful diseases, such as Huntington's disease, allowing for the parents to choose a healthier embryo. This does not typically raise questions on how ethical the process is, because it saves all involved from suffering when the child cannot survive or will be in pain. What then began the discussion on the ethicalness of "designer babies" was in 1996 when the Collins decided to see doctors so that they could choose an embryo for the sole purpose of conceiving a girl, not for medical reasons. This case became publicized leading to questions on designer babies and whether being able to "design" one's baby is ethical. "Designer babies" are ethical when used to prevent genetic disorders and to choose the gender, but become unethical when used to select physical

One reason it is not ethical is because the issues it could cause in society. Those able to afford the technology would be able to have offspring that are considered more appealing while the poor would not be able to. This then could lead to a greater gap between the rich and poor and a more prominent rift in society. In addition, this could cause a loss of individuality. "Designer babies" would begin to appear the same as parents would select the same "desirable" traits leading to a loss of individuality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "designer babies" are unethical when used to select benign traits, but are ethical when used to remove genetic disorders and choosing gender. Though one cannot truly design a baby one can select an embryo with desirable