A new frontier of disease preventing babies
Designer Babies
About designer babies
How it's made
In 2004 the term “designer baby” made the transition from sci-fi movies and weblogs into the Oxford English Dictionary, where it is defined as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.”
Why's it beneficial
IVF and Preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) are used to create designer babies. Using IVF, a single cell is removed from an embryo. The embryos are grown to the eight-cell stage, then using PGD, the cell is genetically tested. PGD can identify certain embryos carrying abnormal genes and select a specific sex to avoid sex-linked diseases. Based on the results of the test, parents can decide which embryos they want to implant into the womb and which ones they want to discard. This prevents women from having to decide whether to abort the baby as well as the emotional grief or financial struggles they would have to face. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is recommended to couples that are both carriers of a genetic disease.
Designer babies are created to prevent offsprings from inheriting a genetic disease.
Many genetic disorders are caused by mutations in either the X or Y-chromosomes. If a certain genetic disease is only passed down to males in the family, the parents may want to avoid having a male child in order to prevent this disease from continuing in the family. Designer babies may also be created to help another in need. Parents may have a child suffering from a disease and in need of an organ or blood transplant.
Current updates
Cons:
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If the process is not done carefully, the embryo could be accidentally terminated.
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The technology used is not 100% safe yet.
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Parents may use this technology for superficial purposes; such as purposely seeking out a blonde haired, blue eyed baby for appearance concerns only.
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Because the technology is so new, it is unknown whether genetically modifying the babies will effect the gene pool. This could cause difficulties later on throughout the baby’s family tree.
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Genes often have more than one use. For example, a gene that controls intelligence could also control anger management. You could end up with a genius, but very angry, child.
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Geneticists are not perfect people and cannot 100% properly evaluate every gene. It is more than likely mistakes will be made.
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Everyone will be relatively similar.
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The procedure is not cheap, and not everyone would be able to afford it.
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The ability to “change” as humans will falter.
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More Designer Babies
Pros and Cons
Pros:
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Installs a better understanding of genetics for genealogists and biologists.
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Increases human life span up to 30 years.
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Prevents genetic diseases such as down syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and many others.
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Reduces risk of inherited medical conditions such as obesity, anemia, diabetes, cancer, and many more.
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Allows parents to give their child a healthy life.
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Children are already engineered by parents in many ways. Prenatal supplements, education, religion, and morals are all ways parents control their child.
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Taking folate during pregnancy reduces risk of a child developing autism.
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Eliminates mitochondrial disorders.
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Parents set their own limits for genetically engineering their baby.
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Government does not have the right to control means of reproduction.
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Allows prospective parents to give their child genes that they do not carry.
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