"Congratulations! Its a Vesace!"... Are we misusing science and technology?

When we think of the word “designer”, the thought of tangible goods comes to mind; handbags, shoes, etc. “Designer babies” defines our society as materialistic due to our obsession to strive for something non existent- perfection. Though the thought of “designer babies” seems ridiculous, this innovation does have a positive impact to our society. However, to properly analyze this issue we must ask ourselves: What are its effects on society? Is the process ethical? Is it safe to human beings?                   

 

 

                                                                                                                         

    

                                                       Notice anything that does NOT belong?

Down syndrome is one of the 6000 known genetic disorders which can be detected through genetic testing. There is no doubt that with our developing technology, it will eventually be possible to abolish these genetic disorders. Genetic manipulation, a process in which a child’s genotypes are unnaturally selected using advanced technology, basically allow us to discard possible genetic disease and choose the child’s physical characteristics.

                                                

Genetic manipulation can be achieved through the use of In Vitro Fertilization. IVF is the procedure in which the egg cell and the sperm cells are brought together in a laboratory dish, allowing the sperm cell to fertilize the egg. The fertilized egg will begin to divide and an embryo which is implanted into the woman’s womb is formed. Another process, Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, detects changes in embryos created through IVF, and allows doctors to select the desired characteristics and dispose of the “unwanted” embryo.

A microscopic image of a needle (left) injecting 
sperm cells directly into a human egg (center).

A microscopic look at embryo biopsy during Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

     

Since genetic manipulation reduces our world’s genetic diseases, shouldn’t it be encouraged in our society? Well, our society must consider the pros and cons to enact correct laws. A transhumanist may compare it to abortion and may argue that restricting it would violate reproduction freedom. Individuals with strong religious beliefs may argue that it would be “playing God”. Additionally, the procedure is extremely costly, about $18, 000, and can interfere with genetic variation. Thus, scientists might argue that endorsing it would result to a world of inequality and discrimination. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the procedure is risk free making it unreliable.

           

Genetic manipulation could be one of the greatest medical advancements in human history. Although, I feel that laws must restrict the use of this process for anything other than medical purposes. We should not be given the freedom to choose the physical characteristics of our children. Children require love regardless of how they look on the outside, thus the use of this advancement for cosmetic reasons is extremely absurd.  It would raise too many unnecessary issues to our already problematic society due to its uncertainty for safety, interference with variation, creation of inequality and discrimination, violation towards religious beliefs and the immense amount of cost for research which instead can be used to find cures for other diseases or towards global issues like poverty. To conclude, access to advanced technologies should not be used as an excuse for our choices. By choosing to conceive a child, one is generally taking on several responsibilities, including taking the risk for abnormalities and loving that child unconditionally despite of deformities. 

WORKS CITED LIST:

1. Agar, Nicholas. "Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations." ActionBioscience.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.

http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html

2. "Design-a-baby?" Bionet: Explore Life Sciences and Debate the Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.

http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm

3. "Designer Baby Row Over Clinic That Offers Eye, Skin and Hair Colour." The Telegraph. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4885836/Designer-baby-row-over-clinic-that-offers-eye-skin-and-hair-colour.html

4. "Genetic Disease Information - Pronto!" Human Genome Project Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/assist.shtml

5. "What Are The Types of Genetic Tests?" Genetics Home Reference: Your Guide To Understanding Genetic Conditions . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing/uses

6. "In Vitro Fertilization ." Encyclopedia of Surgery . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2010.

http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Fi-La/In-Vitro-Fertilization.html

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