“Designer babies” is a term chosen by the media to describe children that have altered genes for desired characteristics, both medical and cosmetic. How are we able to alter genes? I thought genes were determined by birth? Easy, humans have come up with a method called genetic engineering that allow for a manipulation of the genes. Believe it or not, but you have probably been already exposed to genetic engineering for a long time and may not have even known about it. There have been many experiments involving the animals and plants that we eat. Did you know that some cabbages are implemented with scorpion genes that produce poison? The poison of course was to kill off caterpillars and is harmless to humans, but they look and taste identical to cabbages that aren't altered. You may be thinking, how do I know which ones are genetically altered? The answer is, you don’t. They have taken off labeling of what plant or animal has been altered in order to avoid having them banned or avoided.
Now, how does genetic therapy on human genes work? Well, you have probably already heard about hereditary disorders such as, Alzheimer's, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and how they affect our body in a way that often take away people's lives in one sense or another, right? If we are truly able to realize the potential of genetic engineering, we are able to replace the genes that cause hereditary disorders and make them a thing of the past. This may sound like the miracle antidote that people have been trying to find for decades so, why can't we go through with genetic engineering? Well, we are playing God after all; there will always be a negative occurrence. There could be horrible defects that we are not aware of until after the genes have been changed. It could instead lead to new disorders that people may face and could potentially be even more life threatening.
Greenpeace argues that genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally. This can lead to natural organisms breeding with manipulated ones, which would affect future generations in a negative way and would be unforeseeable and uncontrollable. They suggest that, they begin labeling genetically engineered ingredients, segregate them from conventional crops, and to gain further knowledge about the subject before going through with dramatic changes. “Life is not an industrial commodity. When we force life forms and our world's food supply to conform to human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at our own peril.” (Green Peace)In my personal opinion, I believe that genetic engineering is an amazing way to help those that have hereditary diseases be cured of their ailment as it not only affects their lives, but the people around them, namely their family and friends. I agree with Green Peace in a sense that, they must first gain further knowledge on the subject before they begin to genetically engineer everything as they see fit. Although, I think it would be cool to be able to choose whether or not you would want a girl or a boy, with what colored hair or eyes, there is a line we are crossing that differentiates us from helping the sick and the ill, with playing God. We have the choice of making the correct decisions, or abusing our power. Mary Shelley best describes this in Frankenstein; when the being was made, it was benevolent and without sin, the true monster was the one who created it.
Sources:
