Are Designer Babies Wrong?

             

What is a designer baby?

The term ‘ designer baby’ originated from journalists to describe the process of modifying human embryos, which could then in the near future led to the horrific idea that technology could allow parents to chose desirable characteristics for their unborn children. However in actual fact this is not what scientists are trying to propose, the concept that many scientists are trying to adapt is the use in advanced technology to help decrease some parents chances of having a baby with a  genetic disorder such as cystic fibrosis. Yet in recent times the term designer baby has been used a bit too freely, mostly within journalism , and has created a negative shadow over the process of modifying embryos, in the constant fear that superficial needs will take hold.

Naturally there are many ethical issues which arise when the topic of designer babies crops up, hence creating the argument whether the medical procedure is effectively ‘wrong.’

A designer baby is only produced via two methods, which both take place externally outside of the mother. The first is In Vitro Fertillisation, more commonly known as IVF, which involves the fertillising of the egg outside of the mother’s body, where the sperm is specifically chosen to fertillise the egg, based on the genes that the sperm carries, effectively allowing doctors to determine what genes the embryo will have and identifying the sex. The second technique is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis  (PGD), which once again takes place in a laboratory, but this time the egg has been fertillised and therefore is effectively classified as an embryo. Several embryos are fertillised with the aid of technology, usually involving the IVF, for couples who find it hard to conceive. A screening of the embryos then takes place , which allows scientists to identify which embryos will be born with a genetic disease, and which will not, it is only  these ‘healthy’ embryos that are implanted back into the mothers womb. It is the second technique that creates the most discontent with religion, and moral views, due to their being a selection of embryos, which to some people are human beings, and therefore scientists are playing God, by only allowing healthy embryos to be implanted. Is this wrong, or should the needs of the parents, and the child’s quality of life be taken into consideration?

The Actual Process of Creating a ‘Designer Baby’

As I have mentioned before there are the two traditional ways to create a ‘ designer baby’ although new and more scientific- involved methods have been suggested, which I will explain further on. The tradition process of IVF, has been more widely accepted, and appreciated by many thousands of couples who opt for it every year, due to conception difficulties. IVF is a rather long process which takes months of preparation before an embryo can even be inserted. Both the mother and father have to examined and tested, which can identify any obvious problems. If the doctor in question then agrees that IVF would be the most beneficial treatment for the couple, the proceed by inserting a drug into the mother’s pituitary gland, to stop the ovaries working temporarily. The next phase strangely enough then stimulates the egg production of the ovaries using a type of drug called gonadotrophins, which enables the doctors to extract as ,many eggs as possible , to increase the chance of fertillisation. If fertillisation is lucky enough to occur, and a successful embryo has been formed , within the first fie days of creation a single cell is removed from the embryo and genetically tested. It is then the parents and with the advice of the medical centre whether or not to persist with a  pregnancy, or discard the embryo. Interestingly there is only a 1 in 5 chance that with each insertion of one or more embryos, will led to an actual birth of a child.  

Join now!

As before there is the similar procedure of Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis where the embryo is actually selected, so that the parents can ensure that their child does not have serious genetic illnesses such as Huntingdon’s Disease, or genetic conditions like Down’s Syndrome. The other reason for this type of procedure, which becoming ever more common, and  good  evidence for the against case, that in fact ‘ designer babies’ are not wrong, in when a healthy baby is created in order to treat a sick sibling. For example

If the child’s elder brother or sister, who is in desperate need of ...

This is a preview of the whole essay