Genetically Designing Children
Crossing the Line
How would you react if you were told you have the power to design your first child? Would you be disgusted with the thought? Would you be curious about this new process? This is a question that has been popping up more and more at fertility clinics across the nation. This interesting process is known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Basically, PGD is a technique whereby a three-day-old embryo, consisting of about six cells, is tested in a lab to see if it carries a particular genetic disease. Embryos free of that disease are implanted in the mother's womb. Introduced in the 1990s, it has allowed thousands of parents to avoid passing on deadly disorders to their children (Naik 1).
This concept is no longer something that we read in science fiction novels. This is the new reality. Over time, there have been even more advancements involving pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and being able to create the appearance of your child is one of them. The term used for these genetically engineered children is “designer babies”. It is the concept that in the near future parents will be able to select the nonmedical traits in their children. This includes gender, hair color, skin tone, intelligence, athletic ability, etc. Parents can literally design their child using physical and mental traits. If this becomes true, what type of society will we be living live in? This might seem like a harmless idea, but the truth is where do we draw the line? Being able to design your own child gives humans the power to play the part of God. Although the idea of being able to design your own child has its advantages, in the long run it could cause some very devastating effects.
First off, PGD originally was created to help ensure that parents do not pass down any life-threatening diseases or mutations to their children. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is basically the genetic screening and profiling of embryos before they are
How would you react if you were told you have the power to design your first child? Would you be disgusted with the thought? Would you be curious about this new process? This is a question that has been popping up more and more at fertility clinics across the nation. This interesting process is known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Basically, PGD is a technique whereby a three-day-old embryo, consisting of about six cells, is tested in a lab to see if it carries a particular genetic disease. Embryos free of that disease are implanted in the mother's womb. Introduced in the 1990s, it has allowed thousands of parents to avoid passing on deadly disorders to their children (Naik 1).
This concept is no longer something that we read in science fiction novels. This is the new reality. Over time, there have been even more advancements involving pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and being able to create the appearance of your child is one of them. The term used for these genetically engineered children is “designer babies”. It is the concept that in the near future parents will be able to select the nonmedical traits in their children. This includes gender, hair color, skin tone, intelligence, athletic ability, etc. Parents can literally design their child using physical and mental traits. If this becomes true, what type of society will we be living live in? This might seem like a harmless idea, but the truth is where do we draw the line? Being able to design your own child gives humans the power to play the part of God. Although the idea of being able to design your own child has its advantages, in the long run it could cause some very devastating effects.
First off, PGD originally was created to help ensure that parents do not pass down any life-threatening diseases or mutations to their children. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is basically the genetic screening and profiling of embryos before they are