Genetic Engineering: Designer Babies

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Genetic Engineering Research Paper “I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research- and humanity and conscience to do so responsibly” (Obama). This is Barack Obama giving a speech to defend his choice to lift the band on stem cell research and the federal funding of it. Stem cell research is very common in today’s world and has helped lead to human genetic engineering and designer babies. "Genetic engineering is the alteration of genetic material in living things with the aim of producing new substances, or creating new functions" ("Genetic Engineering). The father of genetic engineering is Paul Berg who was able to surpass all the obstacles and create the basis of the technique. The research that has been done …show more content…
The term is not used by the Doctors, because many parents find it offensive, but “the term designer babies was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2004" (Lerner). IVF comes after the embryo is created in the lab with the desired genes. Louis Brown was the first IVF baby to be born, he is also known as the first "test tube baby." The designer babies are not usually the ones engineered to not get disease, but the ones engineered to be a girl and have blue eyes. Genetic engineering is not only used in humans though, it is also used to produce medicine and in agriculture. Before this process was developed, the only source for insulin was from animals slaughtered for meat and there was never enough to supply all the diabetics. In the year "1982, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved insulin produced by genetically altered organisms" ("Genetic Engineering"). This has greatly influenced many lives along with the other helpful drugs now available in these quantities. With agriculture the scientists were able to develop plants that are resistant to certain bacteria and pests. Although this has really helped farmers, many of the public fear the safety of the new plants. Where science has gone has allowed for scientists to be able to insert almost any trait into the embryos before IVF. We even have the technology …show more content…
They think life should just happen as it has until now. There are endless reasons why people are so against this process. One is that they believe the embryos begin life at conception and therefore cannot give consent to be altered like that. The people on the other end of this argument most likely believe life begins at birth and it is therefore the parents right to choose until that point. This controversy is very much the same argument against abortion which is very popular in today 's media. One doesn 't see much in the media about genetic engineering and that is strange because of how popular it is getting. The people that said it is okay for genetic engineering to occur had a mind change when it is opened to traits beyond health. According to a paper published by Kathy L. Hudson in 2006 72 percent of people didn 't agree with it past the point of helping the child have a healthier life. With this comes the debate of what qualifies a trait for ethical addition or removal. Relating back to the allergies, yes a child would be better off without them, but they aren 't necessarily going to ruin the child. Also, millions of people live with disabilities and go on with life daily. This is why disability advocates are very against designer baby technology. Designer babies will

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