Designer Babies

"Hmm...I'll have green eyes, and blond hair. Oh yea, make my baby a girl and add few more smarts in there," a women gives an order on her baby as the doctor makes the bill. If you have the money, why not design your own perfect baby? Many advances in the world of science have been made, especially in the field of genetic engineering. What was never thought possible has now swept the world off its feet. The era of designer babies has yet to come. However, the right question is, is this ethical and moral ; should it be allowed?

The term "designer baby" basically describes a child that is genetically modified using genetic engineering and virtual fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics. The concept of "designer babies" is somewhat like a genie in a bottle who is really pushing to get out. Designing your own baby isn't available yet, but within a few years it will be.

Old discoveries trigger new ones. The road to the creation of "designer babies" started with the introduction of IVF (in vitro fertilization) which is a method used to help infertile women conceive children (Rosenwaks, 1999). Cytoplasmic transfer was next, this is another method used to help women conceive children even if they've tried unsuccessful attempts of IVF (Elder;Levy;Ménézo 2004). Then came PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) which is used to scan eggs for any diseases (Naik, 2010). From there gender selection was introduced for parents that want to choose what their next child will be.

The procedure scientists in the lab would have to go through is complicated. IVF and PGD are both used. First the eggs from the mother's ovarian have to be exerted using IVF. Next using PGD scientists have to identify and isolate the specific genes that control growth and development each individual featured trait characteristic and talent. After that scientists would embyro inserted into the uterus.

There are many medical risks that follow the process of designing a baby. IVF which is part of the procedure has a list of its own. During the process of IVF, if the ovarian stimulation syndrome goes to far, the mother can get a deadly case of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS). During IVF, eggs are retrieved using a long,, hallow needle. Just imagine if anything goes wrong there. In addition, if an accident is too occur when the fertilized eggs are transferred into the uterus, bleeding is a problem that can come up. Another life threatening condition that can occur is ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is when the embryo implants and grows outside the uterus. Last but not least, during IVF the patient has to use a number amounts of drugs and injections which can have side effects of their own (Shared Journey.com 2008). These risks are only for the IVF part of the procedure, but sadly these are just a few of many more.

Part of designing your child is choosing the gender, in which IVF and PGD is used. There is one side effects of which doesn't show up until the child is in his/her adulthood. Ran Huo, Qi Zhou and colleagues observed the differences in the development in a mouse born using PGD and one born naturally. Their research shows that the mouse born using PGD weighted more and it's memory declined reaching adulthood. So there is a possibility that PGD can cause higher body weight and memory decline in human children when they reach adulthood (ScienceDaily, 2009).

Now lets