Made to Order Designer Babies - 2432 Words

Made to Order: Designer Babies (Introduction) Imagine that children were genetically engineered to accustom parent’s exact desires of both physical and mental characteristics. Would parents choose physical traits such as blonde hair and green eyes, or choose mental traits such as athleticism and intelligence? Scientists are now able to genetically engineer a human embryo to the traits that a parent desires. Designer babies are usually seen as beneficial due to the eliminating chances of genetics diseases, however, they are also seen as playing God in the eyes of some. How are human embryos genetically engineered to fit the desires of parents, and what are the controversies behind it? (Definition and History) A designer baby can be defined as â€Å"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† (Agar). The history of designer babies dates back all the way to Albert Einstein’s time when Frankenstein was being created inside a laboratory. In nineteen ninety-seven the first designer baby was a success after doctors and scientists realized that the genetic prescreening actually worked (Brownlee, 2002) (Admin, 2008). This was only the beginning of genetically engineered kids. Since then, science has made a huge impact researching and performing on designer babies. In the early months of two thousand, yet another designer baby made theShow MoreRelatedDesigner Babies : Children Made Up Order2006 Words   |  9 PagesDesigner Babies: Children Made to Order As of now, the world is standing on the verge of one of the most consequential technological thresholds in history, a scientific discovery that has the power to alter the very fabric of the lives of generations to come, challenging what it means to be human. Imagine a world in which one can look through a catalog of possible traits while shopping for a new child, picking hair color, intelligence level, and athletic ability. However crazy this may seem, â€Å"designerRead MoreEssay Designing Babies1017 Words   |  5 PagesDesigning Babies Should we be designing babies? Designer babies are people who are genetically modified before birth, (as an embryo) to change their sex, looks or possibly even personality! Since the DNA code was cracked a couple of years ago, it has been made possible to change a human embryo by injecting genes into it. These injected genes can change the sex, looks and personality of that particular child when he / she is born. For example, you can currently Read MoreGenetic Engineering : Designer Babies1077 Words   |  5 PagesGenetic engineering is the process in which new DNA can be added to an organism in order to alter its genetic makeup . ‘Designer Babies’ is a term developed by journalists to describe children born from genetically modified embryos. These modifications are done through In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), a process in which eggs are fertilised with sperm in a laboratory outside the mother’s body. There are only two legal forms of using IVF to select embryos based on genetic makeup, which are gender selectionRead MoreTaking a Look at Designer Babies911 Words   |  4 Pagesmake babies meet the criteria their parents want. They refer to these as designer babies. The scientists that are starting to create these designer babies are using special ways to do so. They use in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to invent these designer children. During the process of producing the babies, the eggs are fertilized by sperm in a petri dish, which are then transferred into the woman’s uterus. The scientists finally look at multiple embryos to see which one has that â€Å"designer† characteristicRead MoreDesigner Babies: Unethical and Unnecessary Essay1009 Words   |  5 PagesWhen it comes to the subject of designer babies, or even the thought of being able to create a perfect child there is either controversy or pure relief. The reason being because when it comes to designing babies there is good as well as bad. For example some may say being able to genetically modify a baby so it has no chances of coming out deformed or even with mental or psychical diseases and disabilities is a miracle. Others may say that in the law of ethics this can n ot be acceptable. The factRead MoreThe Ethics Of Designer Babies943 Words   |  4 PagesClara Johnson Prof. Sara Clark English Composition Essay #4 The Ethics of Designer Babies As we stand in the world today, we as humans have never been more technologically advanced or scientifically intelligent. We have the ability to explore outer space and the depths of the oceans. We are even in the process of developing organs using 3D printing technology. But there is a limit to the extent of advancements that humankind can reach before some begin to pose dangers to humanity or become unethicalRead MoreGenetic Engineering: Making a Gamble Less Risky1290 Words   |  5 PagesGenetic Engineering: Making a Gamble Less Risky At first recognition, the concept of genetic engineering and â€Å"designer babies† seems like a process that could only be possible in futuristic, science-fiction films; however, it is an idea that has become more and more of a prominent issue since it was introduced to the human public. Choosing an embryo’s genetic makeup is a practice that allows potential parents to hold a large amount of power in the life of their child. But should that power be limitedRead MoreGenome Editing : The Modern Frankenstein929 Words   |  4 Pagesis changing the DNA, which gives us the ability to change it for the better – which is not an easy thing to do (What Is Genome Editing?). In order to change the DNA, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are manipulated to improve the DNA (Hornblower, Reis, Robb, and Tzertzinis). A fracture is made in the DNA to modify it, in order to adjust the DNA to try to rid it of genetic diseases and abnormalities (Wh at Is Genome Editing?). Then, a new sequence can be added into theRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1376 Words   |  6 PagesWorld, in which I found myself lost in a world where childbearing was mechanicalized, as children were made-to-order inside of test tubes with specific traits and societal roles. Now I sit three years later, reading about how this once imagined world of Aldous Huxley has become a reality as we now have the technology to make these made-to-order babies. As mentioned in lecture, the first test tube baby, or child conceived in a petri dish, took place in 1978. Although this type of treatment was scoldedRead MoreWhere Should We Draw The Line?874 Words   |  4 PagesBring your partner, grab a seat, pick up your baby catalog and start choosing. Will you go for the brown hair or blond? Would you prefer tall or short? Funny or clever? Girl or boy? Envision a perfect society in which prospective parents can flip through a catalog and shop for trai ts to â€Å"design† their children. This imagined world may soon become possible through the rapid development of genetic engineering. Imagine the feeling once finding out you were made into the child your parents thought was â€Å"the