Designer bags, designer belts, designer shoes, designer clothing. But, what about designer babies?
Imagine if you already knew your unborn child would have Beyoncé’s voice, Usain bolt’s speed, the intelligence of Albert Einstein, Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones and Channing Tatum’s abs? Seems pretty farfetched but is it really?
A designer baby is a human embryo that has been genetically engineered in vitro to produce desirable traits
Genetic screening is most commonly done through IVF also known as in vitro fertilization. IVF is when formation of an embryo occurs outside the body, and it is a procedure that is commonly used to assist couples with infertility problems.
IVF also allows doctor to pre-select certain embryos before they are implanted to some extent Preimplantation genetic diagnosis allows feasible embryos to be screened for genetic traits such as sex-linked diseases before they are implanted in the mother. PDG prevents the appearance of serious life threatening diseases such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia. However, PDG can also be used to test for some traits that are non life threatening
An early and well-known case of genetic testing being used was at the Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax, Virginia in 1996. The Collins family wished to conceive a baby girl, as they already had two boys and wanted a daughter in the family. This was one of the first cases where PDG was used to select a embryo that fulfilled the parents desires and not a medical concern.
IVF and PDG allow us to screen for genetic disorders however, with the advancement of technology at the pace it is going at right now, it is very possible that we could edit genes in the future. An example is CRISPR, a recently developed technology that allows us to edit genomes, researchers can easily alter DNA sequences, therefore modifying functions of genes. Researchers in China have already used CRISPR on a human embryo to correct a gene mutation that leads to thickening of heart muscle.
In my opinion I think it’s great that we are using the technology we have to potentially cure diseases that can take a toll on a human’s life. Just because you have a certain genetic condition doesn’t mean your children must have it as well. The public already have access to IVF and PDG which allows us to screen embryos, but IVF cannot physically correct damaged embryos or enhance them genetically and is definitely not as efficient as gene editing technologies such as crispr.
Gene Editing also leads to an ethical concern, Designer Babies. What is limiting us from being able to pick and choose for genes that will make our children smarter, taller, more attractive if it is possible. If laws permit people to design their babies, we could see an entire new generation of designer babies. These smarter, more attractive and talented individuals are most likely going to be seen as better than the natural or normal individuals. But why are certain traits favored over others in the first place?
Eugenics is mainly responsible for our societal belief that is belief system that aims to improve the genetic quality of a human population through specific practices such a selection breeding. Eugenics was a term devised by Francis Galton in 1883. Eugenics was practiced widely in the 20th century, for example women in American prisons and mental institutions were subjected to forced sterilization and eugenics was a central idea to Hitler’s formation of the Aryan race. In the future by possibly allowing the creation of designer babies we are renewing the idea of eugenics. Designer babies will only promote a world dominated by eugenics