Designer Babies: The Best Decision You'll Ever Make
Designer Babies in Thailand.DESIGNER BABY
Blue eyes, almond in shape Give her rosy cheeks A thin straight nose Please put a tiny mole On a smooth silky skin Over a small dimpled chin Her body like a queen And well heeled quick feet Small and shapely Nimble fingers and toes Hands tapering thin Long and nails pink Gleaming red or blond Lustrous curly hair Golden locks Falling On her long neck fair High arched brow and Full lips red Put it over a nice round head Round full buttocks Full thighs and legs straight Who can dance like a bellet But that is not all Also baby of our choice Should have a melodious voice No cancer, no sugar No allergy or blood pressure Our lovely little kitten Should be quick, active and alert Pink and healthy like a rose Not even a running nose Should never be obese Whatever she eats And if you don’t mind With subtle flair for science Add a genius brain Over a beautiful frame She must never let us down With all good qualities Her feet should be on the ground Let her make us proud, by Caring and sharing, in times of need A daughter worth indeed I can deliver as per your needs A baby worthy of your dreams But she must have perfect parents Perfect home and perfect siblings If you want her to survive, kindly ensure A perfect upbringing and a perfect world to endure -Dr Madhvi |
Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg (Reproductive Endocrinologist) & Jonathan Moreno (Biomedical Ethicist) Speak OutMethods to Creating a Designer Baby.There are actually several different methods that can be used to try and ensure the sex of the baby, but they are not all new or scientifically proven. Several of those ways would include;
Sperm Sorting- which is taking the sperm of the father and separating them into male and female chromosomes then inseminating the mother with the “right” sperm. Prenatal Diagnosis- which is an ultrasound or an amniocentesis test that can determine the sex of the baby. Traditional Method- if a couple wants a girl the mother would eat more dairy foods and more salty foods for a baby boy. Pre-Implantation Diagnosis- if one wants to choose the sex of their baby; they must undergo the process of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). “IVF is the process of taking an unfertilized egg from the woman, fertilizing it in a petri dish and then brought to a zygote stage at which point cells are removed and testing using a technique known as Pre-Implantation Diagnosis or Selection (PGD/PGS)." ("Future human evolution," 2010) Legal or Illegal?Laws governing the use of PGD for non-medical sex selection vary around the world. In the United States and Australia it’s “not illegal.” In the U.S. the American Society for Reproduction Medicine (ARMS), concluded that physicians should be free to offer pre-conceptive methods of sex selection. In other countries PGD and sex selection is subject to the state laws and is only permitted if the child is at risk of a genetic disease. Some countries include; United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and New Zealand.
Pro's.“Genetic screening can reduce the baby's chances of being born with several serious diseases like Down syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis, familial hypercholesterolemia, rare blood disorders such as Diamond-Blackfan anemia, etc.” (Johnson, 2012)
Adam Nash, the world's first known designer baby, born by the revolutionary Preimplantation Process in the year 2000. Scientists genetically selected his embryo, so that he would possess the right cells to save his dying sister's life. His sister suffered from Fanconi's Anemia, which is a blood disorder passed down through families (inherited) that mainly affects the bone marrow. It results in decreased production of all types of blood cells. The chances of Adam getting that disorder were also very high. An embryo was chosen, which did not have Fanconi's Anemia. Adam became a donor to his sister, which doubled her chances of survival. In another incident, Charlie Whitaker, suffered from Diamond-Blackfan Anemia. Diamond-Blackfan Anemia is a rare blood disorder, characterized by a failure of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. His parents wanted to have a designer baby to save Charlie's life. They were denied the right to create a designer baby in the UK, so they went to the US to have their baby. “In 2003, Charlie’s baby brother was born and the stem cells from his umbilical cord would be used to treat Charlie.” (Diamond Blackfan Foundation Inc., 2008) Families with inherited medical conditions such as; diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or diseases such as; cancers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, etc. may be thinking about creating a designer baby to reduce the risk or prevent the next generation to carry on those traits. “Disease-bearing genes can be screened for and only those without the disease can be implanted into the uterus.” (Johnson, 2012) With the advancement of new scientific technology, parents can ensure a healthy next generation and can be assured that their child won’t have to face the challenged that come about with these diseases/illnesses. |
Opinion:
Designer babies are a waste of $15,000-$18,000. Yes, I understand that people would like their child to be perfectly healthy and to live a happy normal life. But, if you decide to design your own baby, are they really living a "normal" life? A normal life consists of facing many challenges and learning lessons from your mistakes. People who have the money to create their baby are taking it overboard. They are playing the role of God. They create the baby exactly how they want it, the color of their eyes, their height/weight, their intelligence, etc. People also fear the genetic diseases/illnesses that may pass down from generation to generation. This is one reason that may be reasonable, it's a way to protect your child from those disease/illnesses. But, that's still not a good enough excuse to design your baby because it will lead to greed and people will continue to create other features too. The upper class will take advantage of this advancement in technology because they are loaded with money. They will continue to make these baby's and soon enough the world population will be run by "super humans."
Resources:
Future human evolution. (2010, March). Retrieved from
http://www.humansfuture.org/genetic_engineering_designer_babies.php.htm
Johnson, P. (2012, January 20). Buzzle. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-designer-babies.html
Diamond Blackfan Foundation Inc. (2008). Diamond blackfan anemia. Retrieved from
http://www.dbafoundation.org/about.php
http://www.humansfuture.org/genetic_engineering_designer_babies.php.htm
Johnson, P. (2012, January 20). Buzzle. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-designer-babies.html
Diamond Blackfan Foundation Inc. (2008). Diamond blackfan anemia. Retrieved from
http://www.dbafoundation.org/about.php