Designer babies

The term entered the Oxford dictionary in 2004. The concept radically divides people with few being neutral or passive on the whole situation.

Medical, economic and moral arguments can be made for both sides:

Pros of Designer babies:

Genetic screening allows embryos with genetic diseases such as Down syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis etc, to be identified and not be selected for. In 2000 a baby was born called Adam Nash. Who comes from an embryo which was selected so that he would possess the right cells to save his dying sister's life. She was suffering from Diamond-Blackfan anaemia.

It would also allow families to not suffer the burden of a handicapped child or prevent further handicapped children from being born. This could raise the standard of living for the family and ensure an already handicapped child is fully nurtured for. Ensuring it has the best possible care. Preventing handicapped children could save the NHS millions and allow funds to be focused on other areas; once again improving care.

Cons of Designer babies:

It may well create greater and greater inequalities between the rich who can afford to screen out genetic disabilities and the poor who can not (treatment costs between $15,000 to$18,000). This will create many social problems not least hindering social mobility.

More over, parents may be extremely sporty so could, due to the technology, engineer athletic ability into the child. However, the child may not develop into a keen sports person and may even feel betrayed or ashamed by parents that they haven’t lived up to their expectations. Morally it could be argued it natures choice and reducing this choice is amoral. This desire could also reduce the gene pool and genetic diversity of the human race. This could cause increased mutation rates from interbreeding and hinder our ability to adapt and survive if a change in our environment.

Similarly, in many countries there is a greater cultural importance and bravado placed to one particular sex. For example men in China. If legislation allowed was not in place a massive gender imbalance could occur and this would lead to gender discrimination.

As fewer and fewer babies would be born with genetic disorders it would create more hatred, discrimination and isolation both for foreigners and for those who are born with disabilities. These children may still be born because their parents can't afford treatment or because the parents do not believe that a particular condition is a disability. Such as Sharon Duchesneau and Candy McCullough who are a deaf lesbian couple. They purposely selected an embryo which had the genetic code to create a deaf baby. Is it culturally or morally acceptable?

Finally, we do not know the long term affects of screening. It could give increased risk of cancer or any other disease.

In conclusion, I believe the strongest arguments are moral and ethical as we can't put a price on human life. I think it is completely acceptable to select out genetic disease but then extremely strict legislation must be in place to prevent embryos being selected for sex, characteristics or personal traits.