The world is standing on the verge of one of the most consequential technological thresholds in history, a scientific discovery that has the power to alter the very fabric of generations of lives to come, challenging what it means to be human. Imagine a world in which one can look through a catalog of possible traits while shopping for a new child; picking hair color, intelligence level, and or athletic ability. However crazy this may seem, “designer baby” is no longer a science-fiction term, but an expression that has even found its way into the dictionary. Designer baby is defined as “a baby whose genetic makeup has been selected in order to eradicate a particular defect, or ensure that a particular gene is present” (Catalano, The People,
…show more content…
Leon Kass, a bioethics professor at the University of Chicago, voiced that “to really produce the optimum baby, you’d have to turn procreation into manufacturing, which would degrade parenthood” (Ren, Docstoc). This statement explains that in order for parents to create their perfect child, society would first have to turn the beauty and mystery of birth into a manufacturing system. Children would no longer be conceived naturally, but would be poked, prodded, altered, and grown as if they were not children but simply items to be engineered and produced. Also, with new genetic enhancing procedures, parents may not look upon their children as someone they are obligated to nurture and care for, but as objects with a particular expectation made even before the child is born. Ethicists say genetic engineering “devalues the meaning of parenthood” because children become merely properties of their parents (Ren, Docstoc). Thus, it could be said that the parent’s ability to scientifically choose their children’s genetic traits could one day replace unconditional love with a consumerist mentality seeking perfection. Although parents have an important duty to promote their children’s excellence, genetically enhancing their children’s genes in order to control their genetic endowments could easily backfire, resulting in …show more content…
Imagine a world in which all flowers were bred to become exactly five inches tall, with simple yellow petals. This constraint would be ludicrous because it would confine the beauty of the flowers; for it is nature’s immense variability which makes it alluringly precious. The same can be compared to that of the genetic engineering of children. By regulating the unique characteristics of the child by eliminating those that do not fit into society’s standard, the beauty and preciousness of life is lost. Dr. Ted Peters states that “when we see ourselves as the creators of life, then we lose all reverence for life” (Peters, Counter Balance). Thus, by giving man the power to control the uncontrollable, the appreciation of the giftedness of life is lost, and consequently humanity’s moral landscape is disfigured. An example of the atrocity and devastation brought about as a result of the loss of reverence for life, is the eugenics which took place during the Holocaust. Hitler’s idea of creating a “pure” race resulted in the mass murders of millions of innocent Jews. How is the attempt to eradicate the Jewish race any different than eradicating those who do not meet society's standard? In the future, if designer babies come to be, society will no longer find value in others that are different or those whose genes are “faulty.” Therefore, by manipulating the DNA of
Leon Kass, a bioethics professor at the University of Chicago, voiced that “to really produce the optimum baby, you’d have to turn procreation into manufacturing, which would degrade parenthood” (Ren, Docstoc). This statement explains that in order for parents to create their perfect child, society would first have to turn the beauty and mystery of birth into a manufacturing system. Children would no longer be conceived naturally, but would be poked, prodded, altered, and grown as if they were not children but simply items to be engineered and produced. Also, with new genetic enhancing procedures, parents may not look upon their children as someone they are obligated to nurture and care for, but as objects with a particular expectation made even before the child is born. Ethicists say genetic engineering “devalues the meaning of parenthood” because children become merely properties of their parents (Ren, Docstoc). Thus, it could be said that the parent’s ability to scientifically choose their children’s genetic traits could one day replace unconditional love with a consumerist mentality seeking perfection. Although parents have an important duty to promote their children’s excellence, genetically enhancing their children’s genes in order to control their genetic endowments could easily backfire, resulting in …show more content…
Imagine a world in which all flowers were bred to become exactly five inches tall, with simple yellow petals. This constraint would be ludicrous because it would confine the beauty of the flowers; for it is nature’s immense variability which makes it alluringly precious. The same can be compared to that of the genetic engineering of children. By regulating the unique characteristics of the child by eliminating those that do not fit into society’s standard, the beauty and preciousness of life is lost. Dr. Ted Peters states that “when we see ourselves as the creators of life, then we lose all reverence for life” (Peters, Counter Balance). Thus, by giving man the power to control the uncontrollable, the appreciation of the giftedness of life is lost, and consequently humanity’s moral landscape is disfigured. An example of the atrocity and devastation brought about as a result of the loss of reverence for life, is the eugenics which took place during the Holocaust. Hitler’s idea of creating a “pure” race resulted in the mass murders of millions of innocent Jews. How is the attempt to eradicate the Jewish race any different than eradicating those who do not meet society's standard? In the future, if designer babies come to be, society will no longer find value in others that are different or those whose genes are “faulty.” Therefore, by manipulating the DNA of