babies getting designed... an outrage? or for the betterment of mankind

i know... its just the skin and eye color and the sex...

but think of the possibilities... people could be designing the next... i dont know

the next britney spears

the next paris hilton

or the next adolf hitler...

just like what happened in the anime gundam seed...

it broke of into all out war... "?

do you think this should be permitted?

 

geneticists have been talking about this subject for years, i don't think it will even get to the point where doctors will say so what would you like. i also think not many people would say they want a child with specific traits.

but the bits you mention are sort of the fun experiments and the end result would only be to learn more about how genes work to be able to rid people of genetic diseases

 

And then there's the gray area: eugenics. The Nazis tried it, didn't live long enough to see it succeed or fail.
Anyways, this is FAR beyond our reach at the moment. It may be some time before we even see it happen. But I'm all for it, if it means continuing our progress as a species. I, for one, welcome our new, improved, genetically modified overlords

 

That would be considered (I forgot the term, but it's the opposite of natural selection... It's selection through human intervention)

 

Well, where do you draw the line? Many genetic modification experiments are to root out genetic defects in babies. Can you really say they you support children being born with terminal illnesses that could have been cured?

Besides, we can't 'design' the next celebrity or dictator, both of those people are determined on who listens to them. We can program them to be a great leader or singer, but we can't program them to be popular.


Whenever a debate like this comes up, I like to tell a not-so-funny but very true joke.

One day a very religious man was out fishing when he fell out of his boat. Because all his life he expected God to protect him, he neither knew how to swim nor was wearing a life jacket. After a few moments of flailing a ship came up and yelled "Do you need help?" to which the man, still firm in his faith, replied "No! God will save me!" Then, a few minutes later an aligator swims up beside the man and says "Look... um... I don't usually do this, but do you need some help?" to which the man also replied "No! God will save me!" Of course, the man died. Once he got to heaven, he screamed at St. Peter to let him see God himself. After a long argument, Peter took the man to God. Still angered, the man asked God "Why?!? Why did you allow a faithful follower to die in such a way?!?" to which God replied "What do you mean? I sent a boat and a aligator, what more did you want?"

God has given us the power for a reason, we're not destroying, we're creating, healing, there is no reason to disallow or condem this.

 

hmm this is a very touchy subject for a lot of people i for one have no problems with it at all.
If you want your child to be a boy or girl or choose its eye color go for it.

We already have the technology to create any human body part.
I personally think both are great scientific brake through.

I think of it as the next step up in evolution.

The very worrisome thing is that if people use it for the wrong reasons.

 

The wrong reason? What reasons are those? You can't design a personality, that's all in the upbringing.

 

Im learning about this in biology , i think its really intresting
theres advantages and disadvantages
Wouldnt be as exciting as u no wot ur getting and its not a suprise but
if you got to pick what genes ur baby had , eventually the a gene that carries a disease such as CF[cistic fibrosis] would be completeley extinct and no1 would ever have it again. Also picking your own child could make you a fortune!!

 

I agree with loony.

That being said, who are we to say what is 'better' for a child? Defects can bring about great things. I was given ADHD. This has caused me to see the world in an entirely different perspective, and has given me intense multitasking capabilities and great haste in solving problems. Without this, I would be nowhere near the person I am today. If people were truly able to control this, then will we lose creativity and become an unchanging and static race? Think about it, with nothing against us, why would we struggle to better our lives? With great adversity comes great strength, I believe some famous person put it. With the theoritical possibilities of this, we will weed adversity, and then humans will become 'weak'. I believe Gattica was the best example of this. There was intense segregation, people who were born through man-made selection, and people who were born through natural means. The unnatural people were considered 'superior', and anyone who was born natural was 'inferior'. It turned into a very Nazi situation. This was also partly touched on in V for Vendetta I believe. Though I can't remember much about that movie.

 

First of all, the V for Vendetta movie was nothing compared to the comics.

Secondly, I don't see how this technology is possible, or even viable, for a long time.

The only way I can see it working at present and until the aforementioned technology is developed is for couples using IVF. The original cell's DNA structure could be changed before cell divison, so all the cells developed from that single cell will carry the same DNA, guaranteeing the changes are permanent. Unless we have a way to make mass adjustments to every strand of DNA in every chromosome in each of the thousands of cells in a fetus, it is logically impossible if you combine it with regular sexual reproduction. Why? Because you can't tell if a person is pregnant before cell division of the fertilised egg begins.

This is why gene therapy (and the idea of designer babies to an extent) is just hot air and will be for a very long time. We can mutate a single cell with enough effort, but the millions in a human body? It's not possible, nor will it be viable.

As to whether it should be permitted, well, I don't believe in God. I therefore have no religious reasons against it. Moral and ethical reasons? Hah. Morality and ethics are subjective. I'd like it to be legal - I don't see why we can't use technology to improve ourselves. After all, isn't that what we've been doing with plants and animals for thousands of years? Not necessarily genetic manipulation (although one could argue breeding qualifies), but the application of new technologies to improve circumstances. What I expect to see is it being used as an election issue and eventually banned to garner the support of people who are misinformed and have their own delusional/religious reasons why the technology should be banned.

 

designer's baby is a good thing since it could
1. make every parent's dream child comes truth (its ever parent's dream to have thier child to be better then them)
2. lessen the impact of genetic mutation (children no longer carry the same genetic mutation that thier parent have)
3. improve the quality of human race (less nature moron, and more manufactured geniues equal more advancement in medical and sciences in the future)

i totally support designers baby because of the possiblility they are going to open.

 

Suiseiseki

it is quite possible thats what they're saying...

https://www.romulation.org/forum/index.php?topic=14688.0;topicseen

 

geneicide?


It's like plastic surgery really, except the babies don't get to choose nor do they have to heal

 

Do you mean designer babies? That's a cool concept. There are ethical issues, but I'm pretty sure people with money would mind to fork out a couple of million bucks to have a "custom" made baby..

 

noone would be unique. the world would end up filled with way to many people that look exactly the same, with just different names.
im not saying they would have the same personalities, but think about it. the whole reason why of people treasure there children is because they are there own , they are unique in there own way.....for the most part ...lol

 

Genetic modification, especially on humans and babies is wrong.
That's my stance.
We are all different and are individual for a reason.
I think that there will ALWAYS be a negative consequence when humanity 'tampers' with the natural order of things.

 

That is kinda sick if you think about it

 

100% RIGHT