...Designer Babies: Ethical or Unethical Designer babies are one of the most controversial issues in modern medicine. It can be seen as it being ethical by eliminating diseases and lead to an improved quality of life and longevity but also sees it as being unethical because it could possibly lead to the parent controlling the physical and or psychological features of a child. There are a couple of reasons why creating a designer baby can be beneficial health wise that some people may see it as being ethical but others sees it as unethical because couples are looking into designing their baby for physical traits more than health reason. Technology now a day’s make it possible to detect genetic disorders such as Down syndrome and Turner’s syndrome or many more. If the embryo is positive for a disorder the parents have the option to abort it. Another benefit by using this research it can get rid of all genetically transferred diseases leading to a future healthier population. Choosing donor physical and psychological traits essentially means that hopeful parents can buy a baby of their choice, picking everything from hair and eye color to skin color, height, and race. The so-called designer babies that come from such deliberate selection could in the future be created in a laboratory, as scientists understand enough about the human genetic code to possibly alter embryonic DNA for parents who want their babies to look and possibly act a certain way. The ethics of designer babies...
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...it really means to be human. Designer Babies are apart of the controversy, causing the question, “Is this acceptable in our society?” Designer Babies are babies that are genetically modified. The baby is genetically engineered through in vitro fertilization, and is made by the parent or doctor, to create certain traits. There are many advantages to using this scientific experiment. Designer Babies can be very beneficial to people. They can provide another option to people who can’t have kids, reduce the risk of genetic diseases, increase lifespan, and reduce the risk of inherited medical conditions. Parents who have problems with having a child, now have another option to have one and still be able to call it their own. If the parents spend countless money to have a baby, then they...
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...GENETIC ENGINEERING 1 Genetic engineering and the possibility of designer babies Cynthrea Bright International Management Dr. Matthew Ademola November 27, 2012 Introduction Shannon Brownlee is the acting director of the New America Health Policy Program and is also a nationally known writer and essayist. In March of 2002 she wrote an article for the Washington Monthly called Designer Babies. Brownlee explains the birth of cytoplasmic transfer in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process and the technical advances from this process that is making designer babies possible. Summary How is the creation of designer babies even possible? Well the process began with the creation of IVF and then in the 1990s embryologist Jacques Cohen created the process called cytoplasmic transfer. This process gave women who did not have success with normal IVF hope by placing cytoplasm from a fertile egg into the infertile women’s eggs. The first baby born from this process was in 1997 and at first was deemed a huge success and advancement in technology. Then 4 years later Cohen admitted to adding mitochondrial DNA to the embryo what in essence gave the child three parents, the mother, father and the mitochondrial DNA donor. This was the first form of human genetic modification and the long term ramifications are still unknown. One of the children born with the mitochondrial DNA has developed a mild form of autism but it has not been determined if it is because of the...
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...On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was the first baby ever to not be produced inside the womb naturally (Baird 12). She was referred to as the “test tube baby” (Baird 12). Today this process is called in vitro fertilization or IVF. This process is “often the choice for tens of thousands of infertile couples” (Baird 12). IVF is quite expensive and not always covered by insurance. It can take quite a few failed pregnancies before a successful pregnancy occurs through IVF. Designer babies are taking IVF a step future, and they are designed to be what the parents want it to be. They can pick the gender and appearance of the baby before it’s even conceived. They can also make sure the baby is in perfect health before the process begins. If parents are...
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...Although Hemmy Cho believes the knowledge of designer babies can be useful to prevent impaired children and it is inevitable, Heather Long believes it is wrong and unnatural to choose children’s physical and psychological traits. I believe the only time where manipulating traits is an acceptable option is when scientists can prevent children from being impaired or disfigured. Heather Long utilizes the appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade her readers that designing babies is not to be permitted under any circumstance. Long displays a strong appeal to ethos when she says "I have known a number of people who have undergone IVF, often multiple times, and I wouldn't want to deny them a better chance at having it work out the first time around. But I have also known couples who couldn't afford IVF" (Long, 2). It is obvious that even though she knows designer babies can be a blessing, she stands by the idea that the consequences will be greater. Likewise, Long gives a wonderful use of pathos because she uses an example of a desperate Philadelphia couple wanting a child...
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...Human Genetic Engineering Society presents a large issue within the scientific world in terms of genetic engineering, weighing the pros and cons from both scientific and moral perspectives. Genetic engineering for humans, more commonly referred to as “designer babies”, strikes a debate between those who believe that genetic engineering is unethical versus those who believe that designer babies are moving the human race towards a better future. The moral platform that society has raised us as well as scientific research in puts an obvious answer in our hands- that genetic engineering is more dangerous and detrimental for humans rather than beneficial. To argue my thesis, I will thoroughly present both the scientific evidence and psychological perspectives that express the overall morality and ethics of this issue. Rahul Thadini’s article “The Public Should Avoid Designer Baby Technology” will assist my arguments within my report, as Thadani expresses useful scientific and moral points that focuses on the harm that genetic engineering would add to humans’ posterity. Using Thadani’s points, I question what people claim to be the benefits of genetic engineering. If we are able to use genetic engineering to cure diseases as well as disable the genes that trigger them, then how would our genetic diversity be kept as such a diverse group, considering the fact that our genetic diversity is what keeps humans at less risk for such health issues? In a more ethical and moral light, how...
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...place by collecting eggs from the mother which are then fertilized in vitro with the father's sperm. After a successful fertilization, many genetic tests, called pre-implantion genetic diagnosis or PGD, are run to determine if the embryo has any defects such as down syndrome, heart issues, spina bifada, deafness and blindness. If the embryos pass this stage, they go into more indepth and specific tests. The parents set out a list of desirable and undesirable characteristics such as hair colour, eye colour, and skin colour, height and even their build. In some cases, the parents can select their future child's attitude, temperment and other characteristics. In some places, genetically modified babies are banned. There are many ethical issues associated with eugenics, often called "designer babies" amoung activist groups, religious organizations and average citizens of Earth. 2007 in...
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...Is it Ethical to Produce Designer Babies? What if parents could have the child of their dreams? Now scientists are close to making it possible to where parents can design their own “perfect” child. It means that they will be able to pick out their child’s hair color, personality traits, and even if they want them to be athletic or not. According to, (www.infertility.com), out of 1000 surveyed, 40% of people said they would pick the traits of their child. Only 9% seen something wrong with the idea of designer babies. I am going to tell you about what exactly is a designer baby, the pros, and the cons of having a designer baby.. The positives: Take the case of Cindy and John Whitley. Their first child died at the age of 9 months from a deadly genetic disorder called spinal muscular atrophy. Genetic analysis uncovered that the Whitley’s statistically had a 1 in 4 chance of creating a child with spinal muscular atrophy each time they conceived. Unwilling to risk having another child with the deadly disorder, the Whitley’s used PGD to conceive three children, all healthy. To start off with, designer babies aren’t easy to develop it takes a lot of knowledge. According to research done by scientist Keith Kleiner, “…Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis is used with in vitro fertilization to look at embryos for over 100 diseases before it is in the mother.” After seeing what embryos have diseases they then destroy them. Scientist use in vitro fertilization to fertilize the eggs...
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...get to a point in time in which they modify DNA for pleasing factors such as aesthetics, intelligence, talent, and personality. Genetic engineering can lead to a more improved human race, or in simpler terms, a better version of The Sims. All of this falls under the term “Designer Babies.” Designer babies are created through a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. “An embryo is created by in-vitro fertilization that is tested for genetic diseases and genomic imbalances that can cause problems to the child. (De Magalhaes)” Through...
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...Designer Babies A couple just got married a few weeks ago, and they are looking for the perfect car. They go down to the dealership in hopes of finding their dream car. The couple gets there and continues to look around, when they find a Buick Enclave. It is brand new and looks nice, but it does not have everything they are looking for. A salesman comes over to ask if they need some assistance, and they tell the salesman they like the car but it just does not have all the things they are looking for. The salesman tells them it is not a problem; they can just special order the car if they wanted. The salesman brings them inside and hands them a list of options they are able to choose from. Color? Blue. Seats? Leather. DVD player? Heck yes! Seat warmers? Yes please. Chrome wheels? Of course. The salesman then sends the lists of options to the Buick Company so the couple’s car can be custom built. The couple is happy with the car they got to design themselves, but now it is time for them to have a child. The couple wants their child to be a girl, somewhat tall, with blonde hair, big blue eyes, and olive skin tone. They go to the doctors and the doctor tells them that it is possible for them to have their “dream child”. The couple is ecstatic and tells the doctor what they want. Nine months later they have themselves their perfect child. Scientists have already modified animals and crops, so why not babies? There are arguably positive and negative results...
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...Cloning Research and Ethics Questions about ethics in research have increased and unethical issues rise from different fields such as Medicine and Science. When the discussion about stem cell and human cloning researches rise for the meaning, “what is life?” the question is simple, but the answer is still unclear. This paper is an overview of the articles about stem cell and human cloning researches that discuss business research ethics and involves ethical and unethical issues. A stem cell is a type of cell found into the body of all human beings, has the capability to reproduce them, and to produce other types of cells such as brain cells, muscle cells, and others. In the New York Times’ article is very clear that the ongoing battle to make this research valid is relentless. This research can be the potential that holds for the future generation and scientists affirms; “stem cells may be used to replace or repair damaged cells, and have the potential to drastically change the treatment of conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and even paralysis.” (Harris, 2012) However, opponents of embryonic stem cell want the research to be restricted or prohibited entire as inhumane because most researches are done by creating embryonic stem cell from fertilized cells. When the approach is human cloning there is no difference, opponents to the research claim that it is immoral and unethical. In human cloning, women's eggs were procured, genetic material removed and the...
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...It all started with eugenics, the idea that the human population would improve if only those with desirable traits would reproduce. Eugenics is a form of controlled breeding with the goal of creating the perfect human, to essentially improve humanity. Designer babies do share a common goal of eugenics, the desire to improve humanity. However, just because both designer babies and eugenics share a common goal, does not mean designer babies are a reincarnation of eugenics is exaggerated. The purpose of allowing designer babies is to eliminate generic diseases and saving thousands of lives, hence, improve...
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...Couples Wishing to Undergo IVF Treatment Should Be Awarded the Legal Right to Choose the Sex of Their Child: Abstract: Sex selection, also known as gender selection, has attracted great interest and controversy over the years. Gender selection has been associated with a number of ethical, moral, social and legal issues. Sex selection may be performed for medical reasons to avoid sex-linked diseases or for parental preference. The topics I will be covering include eugenics, beneficence, utilitarianism and pre-genetic screening in regards to sex linked diseases. Eugenics can be defined as the study or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species. In the context of IVF, treatment positive eugenics encourages reproduction by implantation of healthy embryos with inheritable desirable traits and negative eugenics seeks to identify and dispose of embryos found to carry undesirable inheritable traits. Introduction: Utilitarianism in the context of IVF sex selection and genetic screening is defined by the principle of utility, which seeks to judge moral rules, actions and behaviors based on their consequences. Where an action produces the best possible outcome, that being the greatest good for the greatest number it is seen as ethical and moral. Therefore, the testing, screening and disposal of genetically impaired embryos and implantation of only healthy and preferred embryos is justifiable because the outcome...
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...While those in favor often argue the benefits of invasive stem cell research, it is, in reality, unethical and inhuman because embryonic stem cell research or ESCR is the research of stem cells in embryos. People believe this to be a good thing because it can help get rid of diseases and disabilities, but what they don’t consider is that while it may do that, it also destroys fertilized human embryos which is essentially killing something that has the potential to be more. Some religions such as Catholics and Christians believe that this type of stem cell research is a bad idea because it is taking a human at an early stage of life (embryo) and destroying it. Generally, stem cell research requires the destruction of an embryo, which is...
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...This disease is diagnosed in 152 babies in the UK per year and 778 babies in the US per year (Spark). Mitochondria are supposed to convert food and oxygen into life sustaining energy. When those mitochondria aren’t working properly, functions of the body which need a lot of energy are affected greatly. Symptoms of this disease may include loss of motor control, muscular dystrophy, seizures, liver disease, cardiac disease and many more (Foundation). These symptoms can take many years to show up in a child’s life. Some don’t know they have the disease until they are 10 years old whereas others may...
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