For this unit, research and analyse "designer babies." This is the term being used by the media to describe the future of modifying or selecting our children's genes for desirable characteristics (medical and cosmetic). Are things getting out of hand with our research into genetic processes?
Taken from Google Images ©
The term "designer babies" refers to babies whose genetic makeup have been altered to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics. It seems as though the idea derived from the process of gene therapy which was founded in order to "fix" a person's DNA to remove the risk of developing a disease.
This was a positive view for many people, it allowed for alterations in a human being who had been "flawed" with a disease, in which case they were to become "normal". This is a controversial topic already due to ethical issues but there is more!
On top of changing the genetic information in beings in order to make those who are "abnormal", "normal" (which is ultimately unnatural), some parents find that altering their babies' genes is something to look forward to.
Designer babies are babies which have their genetic information changed, sometimes to prevent hereditary disorders but overall for cosmetic reasons. The reason why designer babies are controversial is because, some parents find that with gene therapy, they can choose the gender, eye, skin and hair color of the baby, which they may be intrigued by. Various other physical traits such as intelligence, beauty, height, preventing obesity, preventing mental illnesses, athletic ability, and more can be determined.
Based on these facts from the article I researched (Pros and Cons of Designer Babies. Buzzle.com), some pros and cons can be distinguished. Some may argue that the entire process of gene therapy -not just designer babies, is unethical but for the sake of looking at a silver-lining, or an "in-between" stand-point, we will put ourselves in both shoes of the pros and cons side equally and not dismiss the "pros" side automatically without giving them a chance.
There may be some good things coming out of a designer baby. Medically, the intentions of parents are for their child's benefit when it comes to day-to-day living. Anyone with a disease or a disorder may have more of a difficult time in regular situations compared to the average person without diseases or disorders. Parents may want to genetically design their baby in order to reduce the chances of the baby being born with diseases or disorders. Especially with families with long lines of disorders or diseases (e.g cancer, diabetes, etc.), genetically designing their baby can help reduce the chances of the baby inheriting these disorders and hopefully, in the long run, the inheritance of these disorders will not apply to further generations.
Contrasting to these points, there are plenty of downfalls to designer babies. Creating a baby to your exact and ideal standards is like playing God. Being Catholics, we know that the very first commandment is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", so designer babies in this case is a definite no in our beliefs. Another downfall is that with designer babies on the rise, we are making it fine to say that people with disorders are not normal and therefore we should do something to make sure our babies are normal. In our society, acceptance is advertised non-stop. We are taught to view everyone as an equal, no less, no more. With this in mind, another downfall to designer babies could be stated. Through designer babies, enhancements could be made to the child. The child could be designed to be more beautiful, more intelligent, more athletic and ultimately more of a "perfect" person, the kind of person people crave to be due to the media. Another point is that, if designer babies are made available, it would be costly. It would be another factor in which only the wealthy could afford. Those who have money will be able to genetically alter their child to be smarter and more athletic than the others, only resulting in more benefits for the wealthy thanks to their super child.
As can be seen, the cons outweigh the pros. Despite the fact that designer babies have the potential to save a family from continually inheriting such disorders as cancer or diabetes, more risk factors are involved compared to success rates. Overall, our research to genetic processes are just getting out of hand. It is great that we discovered such a thing, but letting it control our natural lives is just too much. What kind of a life is a life already mapped out?
Taken from Google Images ©
(I did some research on gene therapy before and thought I would just include it)
Gene therapy is a technique for correcting flawed genes causing diseases. It is therapy in which healthy genes are inserted into cells so that cells function normally.
HOW IT WORKS / PROCESSES
Gene therapy can be done in three ways:
- One of which involves using a virus. This virus is modified then is targeted into the flawed genes
- The other way is to chemically modify the defective gene to make it behave normally
- Lastly, the defective gene is extracted and replaced with a normal one
HISTORY & CURRENT STATUS
Current gene therapy is still experimental and has not proven very successful in clinical trials. First clinical trial began in 1990. In 1999, treatment experiment failed on an 18 year old patient resulting in a slight ban. In 2002 and 2003, gene therapy was successful on two children, therefore there was an ease in the ban.
FACTORS KEEPING IT FROM SUCCES
- Short-lived nature: no long-term benefits. So patients must undergo multiple rounds of gene therapy
- Immune Response: the immune system attacks the therapy making it less effective, the more the therapy is done, the more the immune system is immune to the therapy
- Problems with viral vectors: these are viruses that cause risk, although altered genetically; there is a fear that it may recover its ability to cause disease.
- this service is available solely to couples seeking IVF. Moreover, the price for each baby is $15000 to $18,000.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
- What is normal and what is a disability or disorder, and who decides?
- Are disabilities diseases? Do they need to be cured or prevented?
- Does searching for a cure degrade the lives of individuals presently affected by disabilities?
- Preliminary attempts at gene therapy are expensive. Who will have access to these therapies? Who will pay for their use?
ACCESS/COSTS/RISKS
- Gene therapy is accessible through clinical trials. It is available to all those who need it. It is known to promisingly treat type I diabetes and is accessible to these patients.
- Gene therapy involves many tools and medicines. Those countries or clinics who can afford it are usually more successful in their research and application. Such countries as France and those in the UK are experiencing setbacks due to lack of funding for medicine.
- Anytime you introduce an unfamiliar biological substance into the body, there is a risk that it will be toxic or that the body will have an immune response against it. If the body develops immunity against a specific gene deliver, future rounds of the therapy will be ineffective.
Source: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/gtdelivery/
ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY & BIAS
The article I chose was very informative and it provided me with all the required facts of this bio-lit. The facts were point-on and I know this because the author of the article often wrote articles for the web-site. She completed her masters in Business Administration in 2008 and studies her topics before writing articles about them. There was a link to the author in the web-site where I was able to find out more about her and the articles she had written. I believe this information is credible also because, I researched the web-site and I read all about it. They are a group of authors who research and write articles about events or burning questions (all about buzz). Lastly, I looked at the reviews of the article and web-site. There were endless amounts of comments of how good the article and the web-site are. The article was biased. However, it did not neglect to show the importance of both sides before stating its own side. Based on the provided website to evaluate the credibility of an article, this article meets all of the requirements.
ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY & BIAS
The article I chose was very informative and it provided me with all the required facts of this bio-lit. The facts were point-on and I know this because the author of the article often wrote articles for the web-site. She completed her masters in Business Administration in 2008 and studies her topics before writing articles about them. There was a link to the author in the web-site where I was able to find out more about her and the articles she had written. I believe this information is credible also because, I researched the web-site and I read all about it. They are a group of authors who research and write articles about events or burning questions (all about buzz). Lastly, I looked at the reviews of the article and web-site. There were endless amounts of comments of how good the article and the web-site are. The article was biased. However, it did not neglect to show the importance of both sides before stating its own side. Based on the provided website to evaluate the credibility of an article, this article meets all of the requirements.