Different Types Of Designer Babies

There is a belief that many people share and that is that no one’s genes, be that of an unborn child, should be altered without his/her permission. It has been an unspoken truth that messing around with a person’s natural characteristics and way of being would end in a disastrous way that could affect our society. Since 1987, about 25 years ago, scientists have been stressing that very point. They stated that they would not interfere or alter the natural characteristics of a patient’s unborn child. But that all changed when in 1997 the first genetically engineered child was born. The means of how this child was born could shape the way our society thinks and, eventually, divide us. For these very reasons, Designer Babies should only be created
Basically, they are children who have been “designed” with the desired sex or characteristics. Since, the mother only has two X chromosomes to give out and the dad has both an X and a Y chromosome, the dad’s genes decide the child’s sex. The Y chromosomes of the father have less DNA than that of the mother’s X chromosomes. So, scientists have to stain the sperm’s DNA with a type of nontoxic light-sensitive dye to separate the sperm by gender and use the desired ones in artificial insemination (Lemonick, 1999). While some say that this is a big step up, many think that with a society advancing so quickly it’s not really that big of a deal. “It’s the ultimate shopping experience: designing your baby,” says biotechnology critic Jeremy Rifkin. “In a society used to cosmetic surgery and psychopharmacology, this is not a big step up.” Designer Babies are basically a lifestyle, like getting breasts implants or fixing your nose. Most cases are not because of a medical purpose like trying to avoid a deadly disease called X-linked hydrocephalus, which causes water on the brain and almost always affects males. Designer Babies are merely children who are designed with the desired characteristics that their parents decide for them. And, not only is this like a shopping experience but it’s also increasing in demand (Lemonick,
Not only does this raise ethical and social questions but history could even repeat itself. The misuse of this procedure could cause genocide or make something like the Holocaust happen. The desired characteristics that parents want and demand for in their unborn children are skin, eye, and hair color and it was just how the Holocaust started. This type of lifestyle or procedure is very closely related to the Gattaca, the Brave New World, or the Nazis’ standards for a “perfect race” (“Designing Rules For,” 2009). In a society that’s very strict on morals and principals and that’s very well opinionated, many objections have been made. While some think it’ll enhance our society, others think it will divide our society into two categories: The Genetically Modified and the Normal People. But, as it seems, this society is more concerned with how far they can push the envelope. Limitations do not exist for many people (Sandel,