Designer Babies

By Benedicte Balande
‘Should We Design Our Babies?’
‘Is it right?’
‘It’s important to know the state of your baby’

Contents:
Introduction   page 2-3  
  1. Is it a step too far?
      1.1) Do we risk creating children as a medical commodity? Page 4-5
      1.2) Could it eventually lead to parents demanding genetically engineered children with good looks and intelligence? Page 5-6

  2. Are we fighting against nature?
            2.1) Is it correct? Page 6-7

  3. What are the arguments?
        3.1) Arguments For Designer Babies? Page 7
      3.2) Arguments Against Designer Babies? Page 8
  4. Conclusion   page 9-10
  5. Bibliography   page 11

Introduction
The term "designer baby" refers to the possibility of a baby that is created by genetic engineering that uses IVF, genetic screening, and alteration to ensure that the baby does or does not possess a particular gene or characteristic. “Designer Babies" is a term used more from the media, rather than scientists themselves. The reason why I chose this topic is simply because of all the controversial attention designer babies have been receiving within the media and also the lack of public acknowledgement about the process of the procedure.
Designer babies can be a quite controversial topic because although it can help scientists screen for embryos with genetic disorders and pick the healthy embryos to use in IVF, the advancements in genetic technologies used in designer babies may lead to parents being able to get their embryos modified and choose desirable characteristics. Some see it as the door to eugenics or perhaps even a more modern way of messing with ‘mother’ nature, while others see it as a way of eradicating diseases and improving the human race.
Whether we should pursue and use this technology is the big question, which yet brings up conflicts amongst people and scientists.
Fertility Institutes recently started offering couples the opportunity to screen their embryos for...