Monday, December 11, 2006

Designer Genes

I just read an article about selecting against genes.
A couple from the UK had eggs sorted and only a couple of healthy eggs used. The reason for the couople to go through this, was that they had had a boy a long time ago that was suffering from cystic fibrosis.

The article asks some people what they think about it. And everybody is positive about it and would like to have that option.

I honestly don't know what to think about it. On one hand it's a good thing, because it can prevent alot pain, emotionally and psysically. I'm not too concerned with genes being chosen over others, because that happens everyday. Naturally aswell as in test tubes in a lab; The stronger eggs and sperm cells have a better chance of developing. So that in itself doesn't worry me too much.

What worries me is that it could be a healthy couple, that aren't in any risk of having seriously ill children, that have this done. It worries me that if this is just available to anyone who can pay, then we're moving towards making children a product. A product that we can more or less walk in and buy. I do worry a little that one day "designer babies" will be seen as a human right.
No one knows if it will be taken that far, and many people will argue that that won't ever be legal, it isn't ethical. No, sure it isn't, but what is ethical today and what is ethical in 50 years is two different things.

And what if this method fails? What if a couple pays alot of money to have a healthy child and they don't get a healthy child? Maybe they will get a child with a genetic defect that no one would have been able to see. Most parents would love their child anyway, but just imagine if children were a product, wouldn't a child like that be a "faulty delivery"?.
In that case would there be a right of cancellation? Money-back gurantee? Replacement?

We might be better off just leaving as much of this up to nature as we can...

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