Modern day science has continually endowed mankind with an ever growing ability to manipulate his environment including living things to suit his needs. This has been facilitated by artificial selection through genetic engineering. The designer babies debate is a hot topic that draws comments from people from all walks of life.
Bioengineering technology has been in existence since the eighties, initially to create superior strains of food crops and livestock. Proposals to apply the knowledge to improve human societies through genetic influence of health and physical abilities initially faced stiff resistance from persons objected to experimentation on humans without their informed consent. The decision by some parents to alter natural genetic makeup of their unborn is cited as a classic case of lack of informed consent on the part of the unborn child. A failed attempt to customize an embryo will definitely result in abortion which is a crime according to some human rights activists groups.
Critics of this idea also point out that embracing it would eventually populate the world with people who think of others as mere products rather than human individuals. Genetically modifying the fetus is an irreversible process and the baby will be changed forever. Furthermore, the decision to alter the genetic code of the family settles with the parents.
A bio ethicist may be in support of this practice terming it a futuristic technology. They argue that in designing a baby, parents are merely trying to give their children an upper hand to guarantee them a healthy and happy life. This is through gifting them with physique and intelligence that gives them an upper hand over competition. As a matter of fact there is no documented proof that it boosts IQ and the concerns of this warranting a social policy against designer babies is thus vaporized. Rather, according to a bio ethicist, it is a technology that can be availed universally and embraced to provide profound capabilities. All that is needed is to put in place better regulations for the non therapeutic reproductive technology. The technology could also be used to address the problem of infertility.
In the past the sex of a baby could be ensured through sperm sorting. The sperm would be taken form the father and separated into male and female chromosome carriers. Once the right carrier was identified, the mother would be artificially inseminated with the sperm. Another way is to carry out a ultrasound examination to ascertain it and opt for an abortion or carrying the pregnancy to term. There were even traditional methods like eating certain foods or copulating in a certain position but these were largely mythical.
The above old school methods have now been obliterated by modern medicine practice. Would be parents now have a reason to smile since the latest genetic testing techniques can determine baby sex with great accuracy. The process starts with several rounds of in vitro fertilization until one gets pregnant. This is a costly medical procedure and is thus a reserve for the rich. Unfertilized eggs are removed from the woman and fertilized on a petri dishIts success largely depends on the age and health of the woman. The fertilized egg is then brought to a zygote stage whereupon cells are removed and tested by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. During the latter stage the parents have a chance to select the traits they want for their kid. The most selectable include hair and eye color. Another option would be to choose an embryo with chromosomes of either male or female child as you wish. Growing embryos can also be screened to ascertain if they have potential hereditary disorders. Pre-implantation diagnosis can only test for certain disorders usually upon suspicion that the parents carry a hereditary disease.
Advances in reproductive technology are not all innovative when viewed from some perspectives. By altering your genes, there is always a possibility that irreversible genes may be passed from one generation to another. There also is a possibility of introduction of new diseases which may be unpredictable at the moment. This affair involves some complexity since in inserting of a gene to serve a given purpose it may cause expression of certain traits that would be harmful to humans. It contributes to erosion of moral values by subjecting human beings to unethical experimentation. There re as of yet no clearly laid down means of monitoring most of these procedures for safety and efficacy. There is a growing sense of a conflict between parents and their children and fears that if parents are not monitored they will exercise their own wishes to the detriment of the child. It is suggested that these procedures should be allowed only in the case of grave circumstances such as a bad hereditary condition.
Mankind could also be entangling himself in a culture of vulnerability which has led to growing anxiety about our ability to cope with innovation. The idea that scientists are playing god does not augur well with some analysts more so when you consider the risk of the situation getting out of hand. Past attempts to alter the due course of nature have drawn catastrophic results as nature tries to express its prevalence. The elite have expressed the need to exercise caution and concern at every turn and the need to debate the vulnerability it exposes us to through unintended consequences of new developments. If successful children created out of donated sperms may not know who they really are. Thus those advocating for anonymity of donors are seen as depriving the child of his or her identity.
There is thus a need to pass strong laws to prevail over the designer babies debate. The multimillion fertility industry in America operates with virtually no rules or regulatory oversight. Most other developed countries have national regulatory bodies to act as watchdogs over fertility clinics. Most densely populated countries with well developed biotechnology sectors have put a ban on embryo screening for non medical purposes. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine merely provides guidelines but has not been known to sanction violating clinics. Astoundingly, recent surveys indicate that many existing clinics have flouted the rules of the Society regarding the number of embryos that should be transferred.
Bioengineering technology has been in existence since the eighties, initially to create superior strains of food crops and livestock. Proposals to apply the knowledge to improve human societies through genetic influence of health and physical abilities initially faced stiff resistance from persons objected to experimentation on humans without their informed consent. The decision by some parents to alter natural genetic makeup of their unborn is cited as a classic case of lack of informed consent on the part of the unborn child. A failed attempt to customize an embryo will definitely result in abortion which is a crime according to some human rights activists groups.
Critics of this idea also point out that embracing it would eventually populate the world with people who think of others as mere products rather than human individuals. Genetically modifying the fetus is an irreversible process and the baby will be changed forever. Furthermore, the decision to alter the genetic code of the family settles with the parents.
A bio ethicist may be in support of this practice terming it a futuristic technology. They argue that in designing a baby, parents are merely trying to give their children an upper hand to guarantee them a healthy and happy life. This is through gifting them with physique and intelligence that gives them an upper hand over competition. As a matter of fact there is no documented proof that it boosts IQ and the concerns of this warranting a social policy against designer babies is thus vaporized. Rather, according to a bio ethicist, it is a technology that can be availed universally and embraced to provide profound capabilities. All that is needed is to put in place better regulations for the non therapeutic reproductive technology. The technology could also be used to address the problem of infertility.
In the past the sex of a baby could be ensured through sperm sorting. The sperm would be taken form the father and separated into male and female chromosome carriers. Once the right carrier was identified, the mother would be artificially inseminated with the sperm. Another way is to carry out a ultrasound examination to ascertain it and opt for an abortion or carrying the pregnancy to term. There were even traditional methods like eating certain foods or copulating in a certain position but these were largely mythical.
The above old school methods have now been obliterated by modern medicine practice. Would be parents now have a reason to smile since the latest genetic testing techniques can determine baby sex with great accuracy. The process starts with several rounds of in vitro fertilization until one gets pregnant. This is a costly medical procedure and is thus a reserve for the rich. Unfertilized eggs are removed from the woman and fertilized on a petri dishIts success largely depends on the age and health of the woman. The fertilized egg is then brought to a zygote stage whereupon cells are removed and tested by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. During the latter stage the parents have a chance to select the traits they want for their kid. The most selectable include hair and eye color. Another option would be to choose an embryo with chromosomes of either male or female child as you wish. Growing embryos can also be screened to ascertain if they have potential hereditary disorders. Pre-implantation diagnosis can only test for certain disorders usually upon suspicion that the parents carry a hereditary disease.
Advances in reproductive technology are not all innovative when viewed from some perspectives. By altering your genes, there is always a possibility that irreversible genes may be passed from one generation to another. There also is a possibility of introduction of new diseases which may be unpredictable at the moment. This affair involves some complexity since in inserting of a gene to serve a given purpose it may cause expression of certain traits that would be harmful to humans. It contributes to erosion of moral values by subjecting human beings to unethical experimentation. There re as of yet no clearly laid down means of monitoring most of these procedures for safety and efficacy. There is a growing sense of a conflict between parents and their children and fears that if parents are not monitored they will exercise their own wishes to the detriment of the child. It is suggested that these procedures should be allowed only in the case of grave circumstances such as a bad hereditary condition.
Mankind could also be entangling himself in a culture of vulnerability which has led to growing anxiety about our ability to cope with innovation. The idea that scientists are playing god does not augur well with some analysts more so when you consider the risk of the situation getting out of hand. Past attempts to alter the due course of nature have drawn catastrophic results as nature tries to express its prevalence. The elite have expressed the need to exercise caution and concern at every turn and the need to debate the vulnerability it exposes us to through unintended consequences of new developments. If successful children created out of donated sperms may not know who they really are. Thus those advocating for anonymity of donors are seen as depriving the child of his or her identity.
There is thus a need to pass strong laws to prevail over the designer babies debate. The multimillion fertility industry in America operates with virtually no rules or regulatory oversight. Most other developed countries have national regulatory bodies to act as watchdogs over fertility clinics. Most densely populated countries with well developed biotechnology sectors have put a ban on embryo screening for non medical purposes. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine merely provides guidelines but has not been known to sanction violating clinics. Astoundingly, recent surveys indicate that many existing clinics have flouted the rules of the Society regarding the number of embryos that should be transferred.