Designer Baby
Before the arrival of in vitro fertilization and genetic engineering, creating a designer baby was basically a science fiction conceptualization. In today’s day and age with the advances of modern technology a theory such as creating a designer baby could become a realization. An individual possesses the right to have free will and to exercise those rights with out any resistance.
From an ethics standpoint, the reasoning by committing such an action has to be taken into account. Would it be strictly for fame and driven by an individuals ego? Or possibly to prevent a medical condition which is hereditary? If it is for the latter then we would have a society with a large population of designer babies. As per the textbook, “In the case of reproductive technology, ethical positions should be grounded on consideration of what furthers the future good of potential children, their individual parents, their families, and the moral standards of worth of the larger society” (Callahan, 2013, p. 74). However, our society is driven by competition and pressure to be perfect; so why wouldn’t an individual who has the resources not want to do anything possible to avoid harm to a newborn child?
On the other hand, if creating a child with the intention of having the “perfect baby” is driven by an individual’s ego and fame then it may be viewed ethically wrong. Having a child is in the hands of mother nature. To begin to alter its fate and our sense of being would diminish the value of life. Also, another item to take into account is the cultural values; which would be striped in creating a designer baby. Many cultures regard reproduction as the main focal point in family formation.
A child created by technology may have advantages or disadvantages among other children. If the mother chose for the child to be visually appealing, the child might have cognitive impairments or other unseen issues. Children do not have as many prejudgments as adults may have.
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From an ethics standpoint, the reasoning by committing such an action has to be taken into account. Would it be strictly for fame and driven by an individuals ego? Or possibly to prevent a medical condition which is hereditary? If it is for the latter then we would have a society with a large population of designer babies. As per the textbook, “In the case of reproductive technology, ethical positions should be grounded on consideration of what furthers the future good of potential children, their individual parents, their families, and the moral standards of worth of the larger society” (Callahan, 2013, p. 74). However, our society is driven by competition and pressure to be perfect; so why wouldn’t an individual who has the resources not want to do anything possible to avoid harm to a newborn child?
On the other hand, if creating a child with the intention of having the “perfect baby” is driven by an individual’s ego and fame then it may be viewed ethically wrong. Having a child is in the hands of mother nature. To begin to alter its fate and our sense of being would diminish the value of life. Also, another item to take into account is the cultural values; which would be striped in creating a designer baby. Many cultures regard reproduction as the main focal point in family formation.
A child created by technology may have advantages or disadvantages among other children. If the mother chose for the child to be visually appealing, the child might have cognitive impairments or other unseen issues. Children do not have as many prejudgments as adults may have.
There are a number