essay

1. Topic: Write a structured essay on the impact designer babies may have on society’s work and leisure
in the future
Introduction
Since the 1990s, the vision of innovative technologies such as human cloning or picking for
extraordinary traits have stoked public concerns about "designer babies" (Steinbock 2006). Generating
designer babies who are free from sickness and super healthy or clever may lastly be around the
corner. Genetic engineering is a technique that has being perfected through experiments on plants and
animals now used in designer babies in order to create perfect kids. Potential advantages and
disadvantages of this new technique will be discussed in this essay.
Body paragraph
Definition and general process of “designer babies”
The phrase “designer babies” which is known in medical aspect as Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
(PGD) or embryo screening is considered as an advanced medical approach that children in the future
will be born with selected traits as their parent expect (Steinbock 2006). This new approach is a result
of control genetics, DNA knowledge of traits as well as IVF - In Vitro Fertilization. Unborn babies have
chances to eliminate all genetic sickness just by alternating new segments of DNA. The concept of
designer babies has been used in some fertility hospitals since the 1990s and it is expected to become
much more common sooner or later. The process involves taking a 3-day-old embryo and pulling one
of its six cells to test for genetic signs of target diseases. Embryos that are in the perfect condition with
no sign of diseasesare the ones that will be implanted into a woman's womb. Currently, designer babies
approach is most often used to assess for circumstances like cancer, mental check and sightlessness.
In the future, this technique is expected to help parents in order to bear kids with satisfied characteristics
such as no unhealthy generic sicknesses, predictable genders, selected physical features, intelligent
level, etc (Edmonds 2017).
Advantages
First of all, one of the most significant advantages of this technique is that reduce percentage of
dangerous diseases. Researchers pointed out the fact that experts could prevent dangerous diseases
by eliminating dis-advanced segments of DNA (Steinbock 2006). As a result, new born kids will not
have genetic diseases in the future. Moreover, currently, genetic technique has been used in reality to
generate a life to help save the life of another. This solution is called savior siblings (Edmonds 2017).
As CBSNews (2002) claimed, Adam Nash is not only the significant example of the first designed baby
but also is famous histrory in medical cases of savior siblings as a blood cells provider. Adam Nash
who was born in 2000 after applying the new medical selection technique and eliminate sick segments

2. of DNA, does not have a rare disease called Fanconi anemia as his sister, Molly Nash. Experts and
doctors did take blood cells from his umbilical cord to replace defective marrow of his sister. As a
positive and successful results, both kids have grown healthily and Molly Nash is now generating her
own bone marrow. Another opinion to support the usage of human genetic technologies is decreasing
painfulness as time of biologic selection. After taking comparison between natural selection and
medical selection, the researchers claimed that medical selection has better opportunities in achieve
perfection. Intentional genetic modification in medical selection is able to maintain persist of the
valuable genotypes and permit human to change without the long and hurting development of natural
selection (Biggs 2004, Steinbock 2006).
Disadvantages
It is supposed that a designed baby, in negative aspect, is a tool with expected characteristics that
satisfies selfishness of mothers and fathers rather than is a kid received acceptance and love from
parents. There is no evidence that can prove parents will love or accept normal babies less or more
than designed babies (Ghose 2014). In some of areas, this discrimination complaint between embryos
can be seen as a significant fallacy. It means that unbalance of genders and abilities in society can
happen because an embryo has no rights to be protected and parents have abilities to change it.
Additionally, the quality of parent-children relationship is seen as a new social anxiety if this technique
is popular in the future. The quality of children will be one of the important factors that affect becoming
parents’ decisions (Meisenberg 2009; Catalano 2012).
Conclusion
Medical involvement in reproduction does definitely suggestions. Parents in the future will be able to
select suitable choices for having babies. By applying medical techniques such as designer babies with
generic screening, parents are expected to be predictable about potential negative features of their
children. However, it needs to provide enough essential information and knowledge about the health,
genetic status, social and human possibilities to base their judgements. On the other hand, this
technique also has negative side that need to be considered carefully before making decisions.
Designing babies is a moral danger. Additionally, issues related to morality also need to be considered
such as the discrimination between designed babies and non-designed babies and quality of parents-
children relationship. Scientists and geneticists are expected to continuously do more studies in order
to uncover the mysteries of the human genome.
References
Biggs, H 2004, ‘Designer babies: where should we draw the line?’, Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 30,
no. 6, viewed 30 May 2017, <http://jme.bmj.com/content/30/6/e5>

3. Catalano, M 2012, ‘The Prospect of Designer Babies: Is it Inevitable?’, PIT Journal, viewed 01 June
2017, <http://pitjournal.unc.edu/article/prospect-designer-babies-it-inevitable>
CBSNews 2002, A Genetically Screened Baby Saved the Life of His Sister, CBSNEWS.COM, viewed
31 May 2017, <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-genetically-screened-baby-saved-the-life-of-his-
sister/>
Edmonds, M 2017, How will we have children in the future?, HowStuffWorks, viewed 31 May 2017
<http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/fertility/future-children1.htm>
Ghose, T 2014, Children to Order: The Ethics of 'Designer Babies', Live Science, viewed 01 June
2017 <http://www.livescience.com/44087-designer-babies-ethics.html>
Meisenberg, G 2009, ‘Designer Babies on Tap? Medical Students' Attitudes to Pre-Implantation
Genetic Screening’, Public Understanding of Science, vol. 18, pp. 149-66.
Steinbock, B 2006, ‘Designer Babies: Choosing our Children's Genes’, Philosophy Faculty
Scholarship, pp. 1 – 3, viewed 01 June 2017,
<http://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/cas_philosophy_scholar/1>