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ethical dilemma of prenatal genetic testing
designer babies and society
designer babies and society
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Designer Babies
We want to be parents, but sadly our diseases won’t allow us to have healthy children. Imagine that doctors can remove the debilitating illness genes babies by using procedures like PGD (Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis), and enabling you to have any babies without worrying about their lifetime. Would we take a change? Most people would say yes, providing that they know the technique is safe and wouldn’t produce any superpower mutants. In fact, Pre- Implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD allows doctors to screen embryos for the presence of genetic defects before they are implanted into a woman's uterus. By that, unborn children can be modified their genes to change appearance, cleverness, resistance to disease. On the other hand, people debate about designer babies, about how we against nature and how this could affect our society? In my opinion, the idea of designer babies is beneficial to our society.
The designer baby is a new hope for many families. Parents can satisfy anything for their children, even time, money, health and life. Looking children suffer from diseases and disabilities would be parents’ punishment. In addition, many diseases are heritage from generation to generation, such as cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, Down syndrome, Duchene muscular dystrophy, celiac, Noonan syndrome and cancer. All of them cannot cure completely and follow children forever. Moreover, children with genetic diseases would have to spend their lives in hospital, and would miss school, playground and childhood. However, PGD allows doctors to remove disabilities genes from embryo and create a new healthy life. If it gives children better future, would we say no? According to the article “Introduction to Designer Bab...
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...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?
Work Cities
• “Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue” (Designer Babies, 2013)
• “The Missing Girls of India”, by Chis Smith from The Washington Times, September 16, 2013
• “Preface to “Genetic Enhancement of Human Abilities”” by Sally Deneen, from “Designer People,” E/The Environmental Magazine, January 2001
• “Human Genetic Engineering Is a Good solution to Climate Change,” Genetic Engineering 2013
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...
Present technological capabilities point to PGD as the likely method for selecting traits. Even though technology has advanced and “designer babies” are being created more often today it is still in an experimental stage. This has caused many ethical issues and questions. Like anything genetic engineering and “designer babies” has its pros and cons. The process of creating a “designer baby” is often questioned because of its shaky moral platform. Though there are certainly some positive things that can be obtained from the use of genetic engineering used on unborn babies, but it is often wondered if parents will have the “right” reasons to genetically modify their baby, or if reasoning will become more superficial. Here are some of the cons associated with the genetic engineering of babies. If the process is not done carefully, the embryo could be accidentally terminated. Parents may use this technology for superficial purposes; such as purposely seeking out a blonde haired, blue eyed baby for appearance concerns
Picture a young couple in a waiting room looking through a catalogue together. This catalogue is a little different from what you might expect. In this catalogue, specific traits for babies are being sold to couples to help them create the "perfect baby." This may seem like a bizarre scenario, but it may not be too far off in the future. Designing babies using genetic enhancement is an issue that is gaining more and more attention in the news. This controversial issue, once thought to be only possible in the realm of science-fiction, is causing people to discuss the moral issues surrounding genetic enhancement and germ line engineering. Though genetic research can prove beneficial to learning how to prevent hereditary diseases, the genetic enhancement of human embryos is unethical when used to create "designer babies" with enhanced appearance, athletic ability, and intelligence.
Genetically engineered babies also known as “Designer Babies” are children that are modified to your wants and desirer in what you want your child to look like. Typically women only use this procedure if they are infertile. The women decide what hair, eye color, or gender the baby is by doing this procedure. In this essay, I will explain how they’re made, the different religious debates about it, and why you shouldn’t do it.
"Imagine the reaction there would be if organ transplantation were prohibited because it is 'unnatural' -- though that is what some people called for when transplantation was a medical novelty.” This quote from Dr. Roger Gosden describes how the general population felt in regards to the first transplant procedures that took place. Those fears have since been extinguished due to the success that transplant surgeries output. Designer babies are a similar medical miracle due to the possible wipeout of genetically inherited diseases. Designer babies are babies whose genetics have been specifically chosen in order to allow a certain gene to be absent or present. Having the choice to choose which genes are inherited allow for children to be born healthy and able to avoid mitochondrial disorders and potentially blindness and deafness. Designer babies are a controversial topic because of cost efficiency and some religious views. However, designer babies are a good idea in a world controlled by disease.
Most parents have the tendency to want what is best for their children so they are in the best condition possible. Designer babies have become a popular topic today. Even though designer babies are in effect to create a parents “perfect” child, still comes with many concerns. Designer babies can have both negative and positive effects on society.
Genetic engineering is the alteration of a living, breathing organism that changes its DNA by replacing it with new, healthy DNA segments. Catalano defines a designer baby as “a baby whose genetic make-up has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or to ensure that a particular gene is present” (1). The term “designer babies” is actually coined from journalist and commentators when referring to various reproductive technologies. This term is never actually used by scientists (Baird). In his article, Catalano predicts that with technology advancing at such a rapid pace, that one day designer babies will soon be a reality. Even though genetically engineering humans is frowned upon by most of society, it has the potential to become commonplace in the near future. Similar procedures that alter the genes of a fetus exist today but are less intrusive include the preimplantation genetic diagnosis and the nuclear transfer. The Human Genome Project will help scientists learn how to genetically engineer humans
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.
Imagine what life would be like if we could find a cure to cancer in babies, or toddlers. With “Designer Babies”, doctors have found a way to do just that. Doctors do not have the technology yet, but they know how to edit genes in a newborn or unborn baby. In the near future, there’s a possibility the baby’s intelligence could be raised, along with the lifespan of the designer baby. Designer babies should be put out to public because it could reduce genetic disorders, increase the baby’s life span, and prevent diseases.
Imagine going into a building with your partner and opening a catalog full of potential traits you can choose for your future child. You scour through the catalog carefully choosing the quality you think will benefit your child, and once you are done, you go up to a counter where they can convert your wishes into reality. Does this futuristic scene seem a little scary to you? Well, the human race might be closer to this future than you may think. Designer babies is a term used by journalists to describe the process by which we may be able to use genetic technology to modify embryos and give our children desirable traits. Creating designer babies uses a technique known as inheritable genetic modification which modifies genes in eggs, sperm or early embryos and results in the altered genes being passed on to future generations (Steere). I am against the concept of creating designer babies genetically modified to have desirable traits.
What if I told you that this could soon be a reality? Scientists have developed a new way of detecting the presence of particular genes in zygotes that better the chances of one having the child of their dreams. This idea of developing “Designer Babies” became popular in society when rumors spread about Kim and Kanye West having this procedure done when Kim was pregnant with their beautiful daughter, North West. The procedure is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD. With this procedure, scientists are able to screen the genetic information of embryos from in-vitro fertilization,
What do one think of when they hear the words “Designer Babies”? A couple designing their own baby of course, and it’s become just that. Technology has made it possible for there to be a way for doctors to modify a babies characteristics and its health. Genetically altering human embryos is morally wrong, and can cause a disservice to the parents and the child its effecting.
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,
Many debilitating and severe unwanted diseases, genetic disorders and disabilities can be avoided through the creation of designer babies. A child's quality of life would be drastically increased if they evade Down Syndrome, deformities or heart disease for example. In a sense, it isn’t all that different to hearing aid, medication for an illness or chemotherapy for cancer, but on a larger scale and earlier in someone’s life, before it even really begins in fact. Some people would argue that changing genes is changing who people are, which they view as ‘wrong’, but genes aren’t exactly the only things that make up a person anyway. The way that they grow up and their surroundings also make people...
Parents all have the tendency to want what is best for their children so that they can be in a perfect condition. Designer babies have become a popular topic today. Even though designer babies can be used to create a parent’s perfect child, many still have concerns. Designer babies can have both negative and positive effects; however, reports have only showed them having negative effects on our society. Doctors all believe that designing a baby can not only put the baby at risk, however, also our future society. The process of creating designer babies has not yet been reassured, which have only left doctors and others afraid of going through with this process. Designing a baby may seem easy, however the effects that these babies will bring, can only harm our society.