Test Tube Babies Persuasive Essay

The human race has come a long way from the Stone Age, developing and improving until it is now able to make changes to even nature from minute achievements such as predicting the weather to controlling the weather itself one of which is among the numerous modifications to nature being made in recent times. Some other changes include genetically modified foods (G.M foods), Test tube babies and cloning to mention a few, which have changed the interaction pattern between nature and human beings as we are now able to alter occurrences that have been ongoing since the dawn of time which can be said to be an achievement to be proud of.
There is a continuous global debate about the use of science to modify nature and its consequences to the environment
and to biodiversity, as some believe that regardless the improvements, humans are not to alter nature as that changes the definition of nature itself. Although there are others that argue that without the use of scientific modification the human race will not survive as it can be said that all modifications that have been done were of the intention to improve the living of humans.
Test tube babies first made their appearance in the year 1981 with Louise brown being the first child conceived through in vitro fertilization commonly referred to as through a test tube. The process of IVF relatively goes as follows: Stevens T.F (1996) the female is treated with hormones in order to inducing the maturation of the eggs. The surgically removed eggs are then from the female and fused with a sperm cell. The fertilised egg is reattached to the female after growing into an embryo and a normal pregnancy will ensure from the process. The majority of parents undergoing this process are those with the inability to conceive children for unknown medical reasons and became widely accepted as an alternative for natural conception.
However, the process of making test tube babies was not completely accepted before the birth of Louise brown.
Henig (2004), a poll in 1969 showed that about 50% of American adults believed that IVF was against God’s will and would encourage proximity. Louise brown therefore served as a proof that the process of IVF could indeed produce healthy children and an estimate of 1 million babies have been conceived using the IVF method. Although widely accepted, religious protesters still see the process as ‘playing God’ and should not be thought of as a means of conception. Some also believe that producing children artificially could also lead to some deficiencies in the children and they might be more prone to diseases or might not be as mentally stable as naturally conceived children. A study was conducted by Ceelen.M (et al, 2007) to investigate the difference between IVF children and naturally born children. The results stated that IVF children have a defective body fat composition although it was also said that more research was needed in order to arrive at a valid conclusion. Despite the concerns, the IVF process has become an alternative most people now agree on and the number of artificially conceived children is rising steadily even though the success rates of IVF conception is far less than what is
expected.
Another important enhancement of nature is the creation of intelligence enhancing medicine (Nootropics) commonly known as smart drugs. Nootropics vary in their different functions some are used for memory enhancement while others may be used to boost concentration and focus of the consumer. The most popularly used is Piracetam which is used amongst patients with dementia and epilepsy but is currently being used by patients with no mental condition for improving performance. A study conducted by McCabe S.E (et al, 2005) shows that the use of nootropics is prevalent amongst college students in America most of which were illegal nootropics. As most drugs do not come without side effects, Nootropics also have side effects to its user such as headaches and excessive sweating although they are specifically known to possess low toxicity, therefore the side effects are relatively low but, the responsiveness of people to different drugs vary. However, the main concerns voiced by people is the long term use of nootropics, if they lead to addictions or if some more side effects appear after.
An issue nootropics presents is the moral implication as some believe that when used to improve academic performance, it gives an unfair advantage to those who use it. It turns education into a completely goal oriented system where the person with the most effective smart drugs becomes the one with the highest grade. Some also say that the use of nootropics when not ill furtherly emphasises the pressure put on students by society to achieve good grades and maximise productivity at the expense of ‘charming’ the mind as the people using them do not know the effects of long term use of smart drugs.
Nevertheless, the advantages of smart dugs should not be overlooked as they enable the maximisation of concentration and focus giving the students a sense of achievement and thereby improving efficiency. If the idea of smart drugs are fully developed and tested then it could be the next phase in creating humans with ‘super brain’ functions. Nootropics can even be said to be the key to creating future super humans.
In conclusion, although there are moral and religious implications to the use of both IVF and Nootropics, they are both still gaining popularity at a steady rate with the IVF process becoming a more sort for alternative for people with the inability to conceive regularly and increased use of nootropics by students.
Although it is obviously that the two processes are in need of improvement, they both will probably become household terms and common processes used by everyone. In the future perhaps the IVF will become a thing of the past with single gamete reproduction becoming a reality and Nootropics becoming a generally accepted by both public and government. The future also presents endless possibilities for modifications to nature of which may or may not make as large an impact as Nootropics and artificial
conception.