Intro

It is hard to imagine that someday babies might be born in test tubes. However, technology already in place today raises the prospect of a not so distant future where it would be feasible to actually design babies. The concept of a “designer baby” refers to the ability for parents to favor and possibly guarantee a specific trait in their child, such as blue eyes. Scientists are hopeful that they will be able to further advance genetic engineering and in vitro fertilization and thereby will create the opportunity for parents to handpick their children’s genes. Also, scientists may be able to subtract an unwanted gene, for example in case the baby’s family is more susceptible to breast cancer or any other disease, and as such hopefully prevent the child from developing that disease over his or her lifetime. As described in the film GATTACA, “a designer baby is still your child; it only brings out the best in you.”

Background info videos:

Gel Electrophoresis

Gene Splicing

Desighner Babies Ethical Dilemna

Gene Therapy Claim

Gene therapy has its "fantasized" elements of creating a world where illnesses could be cured by simply inserting a gene that combats against it. Like anything regarding our complex human bodies, there is a long process of trial and error that needs to happen before gene therapy can be open to the public. This however, comes to the expense of human lives. How many human lives would have to be sacrificed to achieve this, so far unproven, "impossible" task? While gene therapy could spare future generations within a family from having a particular genetic disorder, it might affect the development of a fetus in unexpected ways or have long-term side effects that are not yet known. Current gene therapy research has focused on treating individuals by targeting the therapy to body cells such as bone marrow or blood cells. This type of gene therapy cannot be passed on to a person’s children. However one branch of therapy targets egg and sperm cells which would allow the inserted gene to be passed on to future generations, this approach is known as germline gene therapy. This is controversial however, because the person being affected by germline gene therapy is not yet born so it couldn't choose whether to have the treatment. Consequently, the U.S. government has acted regarding these ethical concerns and has placed a ban that does not allow federal funds to to use for research on germline gene therapy, according to Genetics Home Reference. How many human lives would have to be sacrificed to achieve this, so far unproven, "impossible" task?

Inheritable Gene Modification Ethical Dilemma

Inheritable genetic modification (IGM, also called germline engineering) consists of changing the genes passed on to future generations. The genetic changes would be made in eggs, sperm or early embryos. Modified genes would appear not only in the person who developed from that gamete or embryo, but also in all succeeding generation. If a lineage of family member immune to a disease due to IGM, that disease would be erased FOREVER in that family. However, this "fantasy" has not been tried in humans. It would be by far the most consequential type of genetic modification as it would open the door to irreversibly altering the human species. There are many ethical issues regarding IGM. Rights don't exist in a vacuum. They are socially negotiated. People don't have the right to sell their children, or to abuse them. Manipulating the genes of an embryo would carry enormous risks for the individual child, for the mother, and for social justice. The parent of such a child cannot make this kind of influential decision for an unborn person. It would represent an unprecedented act of effective control over a child's life trajectory. Changing a future child's genetic makeup falls outside any existing notion of parental rights. Proposals for genetic enhancement and the world view that accompanies are widely seen as a threat to social justice. They are overwhelmingly rejected in opinion polls. Here are some Pros and Cons of Inheritable Genetic Modification: 

Pros:
Inheritable genetic modification can allow couples to "enhance" their children to be healthier, longer lived, more athletic, more intelligent, more attractive, and in general to have more of the qualities that all of us wish for our children. However, Inheritable genetic modification constitutes inherently unsafe human experimentation. It would be impossible to anticipate fully the effects of inserting genes into human cells. Inheritable genetic modification can be used to allow couples to avoid passing on serious genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs. Inheritable genetic modification can allow a couple, both of whom are homozygous for a defective gene, to have a healthy child that is related to both of them, according to Genetic Modification.

Cons:
This type of eugenic technology would almost certainly increase the social and economic gaps between privileged elites and the great majority of others. This type of genetic manipulation would always be extremely expensive, this would mean only the offspring of the affluent could receive these enhancements. This would almost certainly off-balance society and could lead to the emergence of "genetic castes", this could lead to horrific consequences, according to Center For Genetics and Society.

What Should The Government Do?

The bottom line:
Inheritable genetic modification will occur even if banned, because demand will be strong and people will be willing to pay. Rather than encourage black markets and likely abuses, we should legalize the practice so that it can be safely regulated. Although now ethical issues will be resolved, it is better to have this research in the hand of professional government officials and scientists, that at least are under laws and have the general welfare in mind. Rather than having it a secretive movement that is not done properly. 

Gene Manipulation

Scientists are optimistic they will succeed in expanding the following concepts in order to select a baby’s genes:

Gene manipulation- Gene manipulation, otherwise known as genetic engineering, refers to the addition of a new gene into an organism’s DNA. Gene manipulation involves the following steps. First, the desired gene is extracted from the donor’s DNA using restriction endonucleases, or more simply restriction enzymes. In this process, a DNA strand is cut at specific points and sticky ends are created, which allow for easy reattachment. Next, the cut gene is transferred into a vector molecule, usually a bacterial plasmid, and left to replicate. DNA plasmids generally replicate quickly and increase the number of copies of the gene. Then, the desired gene is “annealed” to the vector molecule by cutting the plasmid with the same restriction enzymes, and attaching the sticky ends of the bacterial plasmid to those of the new gene. Last, the bacterial plasmids are incorporated into the host cell. This can be accomplished by a sudden increase in temperature, which makes the cell membranes more permeable and allows the plasmids to enter.
Gene splicing- Gene splicing is the process in which genes are cut out of the DNA and new genes are added to replace them. (add animated step by step process)
Gel Electrophoresis- Gel Electrophoresis is a common method to separate macromolecules, in this case DNA, and their fragments based on size and charge. The smaller a fragment, the farther it moves in the positive direction of the charged gel. Gel Electrophoresis is often used to match crime scene DNA to that from a suspect, or a parent’s DNA to their potential child. (add animated step by step process)
Transgenic organism- A transgenic organism, also known as a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), is a product of genetic engineering. It usually contains a desired trait that was not originally present. An example of a transgenic organism is a sweet peach that was previously small in size, but is now larger because it was given a “largeness” gene from a more sizable peach.

How Crops Are Genetically Modified

Monsanto “tested” GMO higher-yield seeds and deliberately falsified records that the government officially recognized and used as a basis for the seeds to be cleared for sale to the public. Monsanto’s seeds were never actually tested in a laboratory, let alone in the real world to determine how they would effectively perform. In addition to a beneficial gene that made the plant resistant to pesticides, Monsanto also genetically modified its seeds to incorporate a “terminator gene”. As such, farmers could grow more crops, but due to the “terminator gene” they were forced to buy new seeds after every harvest, which obviously meant a large expense and simultaneously yielded a large corporate profit. On an actual farm, the wind spread Monsanto’s seeds from field to field and eventually these seeds would grow in an adjacent field cultivated by a neighbor. Not only would Monsanto’s seeds ruin the neighboring farmer’s original seeds which he had spent many years perfecting, but Monsanto also effectively took ownership of the field’s yield. Eventually farmers were able to file claims against Monsanto in court, but they were also forced to switch to growing a different crop. Monsanto is an example of how untested GMO products can wreak havoc on society. Below is a Venn diagram of Monsanto’s views about their seeds. 

Venn Diagram