Designer babies should not be legalized - Research Paper Example

? Designer babies should not be legalized In the recent years, over the news media, newspapers, scientific journals, internet and research papers, many became astonished on hearing the term ‘designer babies.’ Designer babies becomes majorly based on the concept of one selecting traits that one wishes for his or her child to have. Literally, it implies selection of certain features that a parent wishes his or her child to have before preconception (Satoshi 90). The concept of selecting a given trait for a child originated from a technology known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis remains as a technique employed on embryos got in In vitro Fertilization for screening for genetic diseases (Blazer 56). The technique commonly tests for genetic abnormality in embryos. Based on the results got from this screening test, parents often can be able to choose non-genetically diseased embryos to be implanted in the mother (Sean, Lyn & Tessa 80). In as much as medically the technology seems as advancement, the issue remains on its legality and whether it can be ethically accepted in the society (Sara 83). A number of ethicists often remain wondering on the given future of the technology. A war between conservatist and scientists has constantly been ongoing for centuries. In as much as scientists believe that the designer babies technology remains as a major step in the field of genetic engineering, quite a number of controversies and oppositions have arose because of that technology. Therefore, choosing the features of one’s own child should not be legalized due to a number of ethical issues revolving around it. In as much as the issue of designer babies seems to be a technological advancement in the world that could solve a number of problems that mankind has, but if people thought for a moment whether to legalize it or not, many would opt not to legalize it. A number of ethical issues have arisen over the past few years regarding the issue of designer babies in the society thereby leading to many people refusing the idea of legalizing the practice. The ethical issue behind not legalizing the practice of designer babies majorly falls on the use of its technologies, political, social and religious view. Parents being able to choose salient features for their children prenatally should not be legally accepted due to technological issues such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis and cloning used in the process of making designer babies (Zahedi & Bargher 88). There are often two types of moral or ethical questions that often get asked regarding designer babies (Sean 34). Often, the first question involves the specific technologies used in selecting or modifying the baby’s genetic makeup. Furthermore, the second question often focuses on the given idea of creating a designer baby (Sonia 55). For any medical technology introduced with a given aim, ethics and safety always play a key role in its enactment. Technological enhancements that prove to be detrimental to the lives of human beings often become not approved and therefore not legally acceptable. Genetically modified technology commonly began in animals like mice and plants and has been tested less on humans. In accordance to Wellman, he describes the method and technique of making such designer babies as straightforward while at the same time talks about it raising concerns on safety (34).Making of a designer baby sometimes begins with the creation of a given embryo via in vitro fertilizayion. It is then genetic engineers that then modify the given embryo’s DNA before introducing it in the womb (Joseph 33). In as much as technology often comes with dazzling procedure and expectation of perfect health, the main thing here is, are they safe being used on humans (Sonia 25). Some technological usage often employ humans as test subjects and try to oversee what will be the aftermath of their experiments (Sonia 15). Medically, they have been cases of experiments being conducted on humans leading some of them dead. Therefore, safety and ethcis play a bigger role when it comes to issues of technology related to production of designer babies. The big question here regarding the ethical basis of using this technology on human remains as, if this technology became tested on mice’s and other living organisms apart from humans, how safe is it then? For years, geneticists have enhanced the learning regarding genetic modification in mice (Peter 34). Comparing the anatomical and physiological structure of humans and mice, humans have never been tested upon like the mice. Therefore, the technology remains new to humans as no one still knows the long term effect of it. It is better not to venture into new things since no one actually knows the risks involved when subjected to humans. Since most of this technologies becomes commonly tested on laboratory animals instead of humans, some of them may turn harmful to the human population. Therefore, the idea of designer babies should not be legalized since no one actually knows what happens to the future babies after the grow. In farming for instance, farmers nowadays commonly plant crops that have been altered genetically in an attempt to produce higher yields and withstand harsher conditions thereby making them more resistant to herbicides or pests. Resistance of crops to pesticides often impact negatively to the economy as production reduced leading to incidences like food shortage and hunger. It is via genetic modification technology being able to delete unwanted genetic material in a given DNA leading to the creation of a designer baby. In as much as people view the gain they would get from accepting to have a designer baby, the bad effects of making or wishing to legalize the concept of designer babies often overshadow the good side. A number of concerns in recent years have also erupted regarding the safety of the technology used in creation of such designer babies (Joseph 34). For example, geneticists at some point in their experiment introduced an additional gene copy called NR2B in the mouse genome responsible for coding a given type of glutamate receptor that plays role in brain development (John 56). These scientists managed to come up with a mice that showed marked intelligence compared to other mice in learning and retaining information (John 76). Such a gene, NR2B also exists in humans, but such a technique used got a lot of safety concerns that needed to be addressed before fully introducing it to humans (Sonia 43). In regard to such an experiment, quite a number of safety concerns could be derived regarding the technology used in creation of designer babies. a.) The current techniques commonly used in genetic modification always introduce genes at a random order in the genome thereby making the outcome unpredictable. For instance, in inserting a copy of NR2B randomly might interfere with another more important gene crucial for survival (Wellman 110). The random nature of insertion used in such technologies often puts such technology to doubt by many. There have been a number of concerns regarding the same as shown in the famous film Splice. b.) Some genes often possess more than one effect in the human body. Hence, in an attempt to alter one or insert a given one in the human genome might result in later effects accompanying the primary desired change. For instance, in the mice that became genetically engineered by insertion of the NR2B gene, apart from the desired increase in its power of memory and learning, its sensitivity to pain became increased too. It is the other side effects apart from the desired ones that puts such a technology in jeopardy as human are not prepared to live to see its effect among its off springs (Wellman 106). c.) In addition, some traits that an individual often selects in order to appear in a given child sometimes result due to influence by multiple genes. In the case of the gene that affects intelligence, it does so in combination with other genes (Zahedi & Bargher 54). Therefore, the technology used in the mice is unlikely to find a given single gene that would be modified reliable in order to produce a 20-point boost in a person’s or mice IQ (Wellman 121). This and other disadvantages of the given technology have constantly kept the issue of designer babies under ethical scrutiny. It is upon these evidences that the technology behind the making of designer babies brings ethical issues concerning the practice and hence should not be legalized due to the numerous risks involved. Scientists in an attempt to cover up some of the defects the technology used in making designer babies employ in selecting certain children’s characteristics, a number of ways have been designed in an attempt to reduce the risks of inherent genetic diseases in children. One technique commonly used to offset such advances in technology remains as preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis often reduces the risk of genetically transmitted diseases through screening of a given genome to ensure its devoid of genetic defects before implantation (Franklin & Roberts 77). It mostly becomes used in prevention of diseases to the child sired through in vitro fertilization. Embryos grown and reach the eight cell stage, then 1 or 2 cells become removed and checked if any genetic variations have associated with a given disease. It is then that embryos that lack the genetic variations become implanted into a given womb via in vitro fertilization (Franklin & Roberts 65). Preimplantation genetic diagnosis remains as an expensive technology that currently is offered to couples at a higher risk of conceiving children suffering from genetic diseases that prove serious or fatal (Joseph 12). In as much as PGD often does not entail genetic modification of a given human embryo, some risks often could be avoided (Joseph 22). The problem often arises from the procedure of extracting 1 or 2 cells from the 8 cell stage embryo. Some people always imply that the removal process of the cells often might have implications to the developing embryo immediately or in future (Franklin & Roberts 45). Another biotechnology commonly employed in selecting a child’s characteristic remains as cloning. Cloning always remains as an alternative method in making designer babies. Cloning by use of somatic cell nuclear transfer often uses a given somatic or body derived from the person whose features are expected to be cloned in a given child. Cloning then involves the insertion of the cloned cell’s nucleus an empty egg cell with no nucleus. The resultant reconstructed embryo then becomes implanted in a womb. In as much as some people may view cloning as the last resort in managing infertility, some people may view it as a way of selecting given characteristics of a child. Such would be exercised through ones choice of the person expected to be cloned in order to acquire salient features. For instance, one might pursue to take the physical attractiveness of let’s say Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in order to have beautiful and attractive kids in future. Cloning on its own as a means of choosing a child’s characteristics often has a number of disadvantages that render the practice placed illegal in most countries (Sonia 56). For instance, cloning often leads to parental preference in an attempt to have designer babies. For those individuals who hope that cloning designer babies would be a good option, should also worry about the issue of genetic determinist misrepresentations that could occur due to this technology. Genetic determinism usually views a given organism’s significant characteristics resulting mainly from the given action of its genes, and environmental influences play negligible role in its function (Satoshi 53). Today, this view has been recognized as false and therefore replaced with another view. The latest view indicates that organisms moreso emerge from a very complex interaction involving environment and genes. For instance, Roger Federer’s clone might have been subjected to a collection of different environmental influences differing from the original and the clone might have some interest in tennis. Therefore, a child who becomes a clone by Federer remains more likely to become a tennis champion than one born naturally. Such a means of creating designer babies might not be attractive to parents that place value on genetic connection with their given child to such individuals. Hence such children made this way will be more genetically related to their original clone than the parents hence rendering the practice quite unethical. Another reason why cloning cannot be used in making designer babies and should not be made illegal is that cloning in animals proved risky (Sean & Lyn 88). The question then lingers in many people, if cloning failed in animals, will it be ethical in trying it in humans. Even if scientists understand the process of making designer babies via cloning, still many people are against the technology. A number of health concerns have been raised regarding clones (Blazer 67). Clones animals for instance suffered a degree of problems which some scientists connected to incomplete reprogramming of the given somatic cell DNA (Sonia 43). It also resulted from damage inflicted during the process of transferring nuclear. Taking animals as experimental of the real picture that might occur if humans became cloned in an attempt to create designer babies, many would have stopped about thinking about such options and relented to natural means (Sonia 44). When it comes to treatment of diseases, there are often some moral approaches that become attached to them. Treatment of a patient is often accorded some moral consideration medically since medics have a code of conduct. When genetically modifying an embryo, one has to remove a given gene linked with for instance a higher than the average risk of asthma so as to prevent asthma (Franklin 99). The method seems to prevent a given disease only through preventing the patient’s existence. Commonly, for instance in preimplantation genetic diagnosis, in removing the 2 cells in the 8 stage embryo might result in damage of the embryo plus its genetic makeup. Ethical issues often arise regarding the various technologies discussed above being used in humans for production of designer babies (Franklin 100). Most people believe that designer babies will lose the humanity people possess in case we modify some of the human genes. Francis Fukuyama for instance believes that genetic enhancements might change descendants to come to lose their humanity. In accordance to Fukuyama, sometimes environmental influences operate within limits that become set by genes, indication, even ambitious education programs sometimes leave their subjects (Zahedi & Bargher 35). It is for the reason of designer babies’ concept promoting eugenics in future that many countries have not legalized the practice. Eugenics commonly refers to the study or belief in a given possibility aimed at improving the quality of human species or a given human population through discouraging reproduction to produce people of genetic diseases or certain undesired traits. Many people object the concept of legalizing designer babies in fear of repeating the same mistake Adolf Hitler did on Germans. Adolf Hitler envisioned the concept of eugenics and engineered for its establishment in Germany (Sean, Lyn & Tessa 110). He wanted a German population that was superior to the rest of other people in the world. Mostly he wanted Germans to be tall and with well built physic. This led to the killing of the weak at that time and those who could not fit his profile. Adolf Hitler majorly wanted to create a race possessing features like blue-eyed and belonging to the Aryan Blond race. Creating designer babies mostly just falls in the same line of thinking like that of Hitler (Satoshi 89). The concept of designer babies should never be legalized since it will negatively impact the given society. Genetic engineering will often result in increase in hatred or fear towards foreigners. Furthermore, individuals with genetic defects will become socially rejected and hence spark wars. Those with poor genes will hence become discriminated and therefore result in worsening of social stratification. Nowadays, some people with genetic defects often get treated as outcasts in the society, hence, what will happen then if the designer babies become introduced (Sonia 123). Therefore, the concept of designer babies will just lead to marked discrimination in the society. In terms of economic stratification, since the procedure is quite expensive, those families with designer babies will discrimination those that could not afford to have such babies hence leading to economic stratification. Genetic aristocracy will become introduced in the society leading to more problems (Blazer 54). Adopting genetic engineering for the purpose of achieving cosmetic advancements in future children has sparked a lot of controversies. For instance, there have been a number of questions asked in respective to whether designing babies for the purpose of achieving cosmetic excellence is ethical. In accordance to religious groups like Christians and Muslims, the idea of creating humans by other humans defies the logic of God being the creator of humans and therefore denies the establishments of such technology (Satoshi 87). Religious groups do fear they might lose their congregation if scientists prove that other human beings could be made by other humans. Religious groups fear that their congregation might lose faith in God and follow such people. Therefore, in accordance to them, they believe that God made man in his own image and he liked it (Peter 78). Therefore, in attempting to alter the genetic makeup of an individual in an attempt to create a designer baby might be cheating God’s creation. God wanted human beings to create in the most natural way, but science wants to disapprove them by establishment of such technologies that could produce designer babies. In any democratic nations, citizens often have a right to choose on their own. Furthermore, the unborn also has a right to chose. In most countries, the concept of designer babies could not be legalized due to the idea of some political figures misusing it for their own benefit. Some governments often will use such concepts in designing perfect soldiers to be used in war thereby creating more violence among countries (Joseph 6). A good example could be the eugenics Adolf Hitler sought. Hitler wanted an army of powerful soldiers and super humans instead of the average soldier in order to carry out world domination. In addition, some parents will be depriving their children their rights as they make choices of who they wish to become in life instead of letting them to choose for themselves. An excellent example could be the story of a deaf couple that decided to have their baby genetically engineered to become deaf. Such scenarios are what will become avoided by not legalizing the practice (Blazer 33). Designer babies issue therefore resulted to a number of controversies in the past few years. Up to date, designer babies should not be legalized due to a number of ethical issues regarding them (Zahedi 90). The ethical issues revolving around designer babies encompass technology used, social, religious and political aspects. In summary, many people feel the concept of designer babies should not be legalized since it is unethical. In the current world, the issue of designer babies often gets marked resistance from people since they believe making it legal would result to chaos in the world. Works Cited Barker, Joseph. Barkers' review of politics, religion, literature and morals. Journal of education, science, and co-operation: Sept. 8, 1861-Aug. 1,17 Michigan: Barker and co, 2009. Blazer, Shraga. Ethics, The Embryo--scientific Discovery and Medical. Basel: Karger Publishers, 2005. Farzaneh Zahedi, Bargher Larijani. Medical Genetic Ethics: Islamic Views and Considerations in Iran. Tehran: Tehran University, 2006. Galaasen, Ole Peter. "The Future of Designer Babies." Plausible Futures Newsletter (2007). Kanazawa, Satoshi. "Common misconceptions about science III: Designer babies." The Scientific Fundamentalist (2009). Kunich, John. The Naked Clone: How Cloning Bans Threaten Our Personal Rights. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Sarah Franklin, Celia Roberts. Born and Made: An Ethnography of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007. Sean Kehoe, Lyn Chitty, Tessa Homfray. Reproductive Genetics. London: RCOG Publication, 2009. Suter, Sonia M. "A Brave New World of Designer Babies?" BERKELEY TECHNOLOGY LAW JOURNAL (2007): 898-968. Wellman, Carl. Medical Law And Moral Rights. New York: Springer, 2005. Read More