Designer Babies Should Not Be Allowed
Most people have heard of Build-A-Bear Workshop and how they allow someone to customize a stuffed animal however they would like. Now, imagine doing that with a baby. Thanks to new advances in technology and research, this may become a reality very soon. One such technology capable of restructuring genetic codes in human embryos is the CRISPR-Cas9 method. This works by using an enzyme found in bacteria to snip out segments of DNA and replace the section with a customized code of DNA (Burke). Using this method, there is no limit to the changes one can make to a human embryo, whether it is enhancing intelligence, speed, strength, height, beauty, etc. A “Designer baby” is the term used to describe a …show more content…
In Aldous Huxley’s book Brave New World, children are made to fit one specific role in society, and that has produced a caste system that restricts people from becoming anything other than what the higher power has created them for (source). The people creating the children even go so far as to limit the amount of oxygen the lower class receives in order to decrease their brain development because they would not need it for their future job (source). …show more content…
Chinese scientists have already tried using this technology to replace a certain segment of DNA and out of the 56 embryos tested; only 4 produced the desired effect (source). In addition, even those 4 embryos had multiple unexpected mutations (?). This proves that the technology is still not capable of producing accurate results on demand, and should not be used to alter children (enter quote about making stuff happen). Furthermore, this technology would be disastrous in the wrong hands. If this technology were to be widely available to any so called “scientist” with a lab in his garage, there would be a huge risk for someone messing with the wrong genes in anything and accidentally creating a disease to cause the next plague, and, thanks to China, CRISPR-Cas9 kits are now available for just $130 (source). Plus, there would be nothing to stop dictators, such as the one in North Korea, from using the technology to create an army of super soldiers by enhancing strength, speed, eyesight, aggressiveness, etc. This would be disastrous for whomever the dictator decides to unleash the genetically altered army on. These examples prove that humanity is not capable of playing God with any skill.
While the reasons for banning designer babies and the related technology can be overwhelming, there are some positives aspects that cannot
Most people have heard of Build-A-Bear Workshop and how they allow someone to customize a stuffed animal however they would like. Now, imagine doing that with a baby. Thanks to new advances in technology and research, this may become a reality very soon. One such technology capable of restructuring genetic codes in human embryos is the CRISPR-Cas9 method. This works by using an enzyme found in bacteria to snip out segments of DNA and replace the section with a customized code of DNA (Burke). Using this method, there is no limit to the changes one can make to a human embryo, whether it is enhancing intelligence, speed, strength, height, beauty, etc. A “Designer baby” is the term used to describe a …show more content…
In Aldous Huxley’s book Brave New World, children are made to fit one specific role in society, and that has produced a caste system that restricts people from becoming anything other than what the higher power has created them for (source). The people creating the children even go so far as to limit the amount of oxygen the lower class receives in order to decrease their brain development because they would not need it for their future job (source). …show more content…
Chinese scientists have already tried using this technology to replace a certain segment of DNA and out of the 56 embryos tested; only 4 produced the desired effect (source). In addition, even those 4 embryos had multiple unexpected mutations (?). This proves that the technology is still not capable of producing accurate results on demand, and should not be used to alter children (enter quote about making stuff happen). Furthermore, this technology would be disastrous in the wrong hands. If this technology were to be widely available to any so called “scientist” with a lab in his garage, there would be a huge risk for someone messing with the wrong genes in anything and accidentally creating a disease to cause the next plague, and, thanks to China, CRISPR-Cas9 kits are now available for just $130 (source). Plus, there would be nothing to stop dictators, such as the one in North Korea, from using the technology to create an army of super soldiers by enhancing strength, speed, eyesight, aggressiveness, etc. This would be disastrous for whomever the dictator decides to unleash the genetically altered army on. These examples prove that humanity is not capable of playing God with any skill.
While the reasons for banning designer babies and the related technology can be overwhelming, there are some positives aspects that cannot