Are Designer Babies The Future?

 Are designer babies the future? 


December 12, 2022


By: Haniya Arif Khan



Creating a baby through genetic modifications    Parents deciding what traits to choose for baby. Source: article/PIIS0140-6736%2808%2961538-X/fulltext     Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/



WHAT EXACTLY DO WE MEAN BY THE TERM "DESIGNER BABIES" 


We all know how fast paced the world we live in has become and how technology plays a vital role in this. What’s even more fascinating is how with the help of technology scientists are able to alter genes in humans. This brings us to the heated topic of designer babies. Designer babies refers to the practice of choosing traits of a child before they are even born using genetic engineering. This may include choosing some particular traits of the baby like their eye colour, eye sight, height or any other physical and intellectual characteristics. This topic is of much debate as it does have quite a lot of ethical concerns but ultimately the decision to create designer babies will be a complex and complicated decision that will need serious thought, careful consideration of the moral and ethical implications that come along with it.


CRISPR TECHNOLOGY AND HOW ITS REVOLUTIONISED THE WORLD


Gene editing was not always so simple before, it was very expensive, complicated and took a very long time to do. However, this has now changed as CRISPR technology is a powerful tool that scientists use to make changes to the DNA of organisms which has made the process less costly and much shorter. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is used to create babies with specific traits which can remove genetic disorders and other medical conditions that the baby might have been born with. This technology is still in its early stages but will be able to do this in no time. It works for every type of cell like: plants, animals, humans and micro-organisms. CRISPR can also be used to defeat one of our deadliest enemies - cancer which is done through editing immune cells in the body. In just a decade, scientists and researchers will be able to cure thousands of diseases forever using this new technology. One can easily say that CRISPR technology has the potential of changing humanity forever (yes, it is that powerful).


Genetically modifying our babies could do great things for us. On a bigger scale, we would be able to solve many problems in the world today by having modified humans. Other than being able to remove genetic disorders and medical conditions that the baby may have to suffer from, engineered humans could be equipped with a modified immune system. This could mean, humans could be immune to a lot of diseases that we are suffering from at this point in time. There is chance of increasing life expectancy of the baby as well, this is because all the unwanted genes are removed and the baby is only left with healthy genes. 




                                                                 Let's build a baby
                   Source: https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2018-19/051319/designer-babies.html



WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL CONCERNS RELATED TO DESIGNER BABIES


Designer babies are a controversial topic as they raise many ethical concerns. In the start, using genetic engineering to gene edit embryos might not be considered unethical as it will probably be used to remove a genetic disease from a baby that is being passed down by his family. The baby was not over designed and was able to be born without any disease. However, with time and as the technology gets more and more advanced and refined, the number of gene edits will increase and the babies may start to be over designed. This raises quite a few ethical concerns. With time, as genetic changes get more accepted, scientists will have more knowledge about our genetic code and because of this instead of making the baby immune to just one disease, people may want to give their babies a whole bunch of traits like better height, good eyesight and a faster metabolism. The list of desired traits may be endless. This could mean that most of the characteristics are being changed in a way where modified humans become the new standard. There has been speculation about parents choosing particular traits that prioritises superficial characteristics in comparison to the health and well being of the child. This is a slippery slope as it could lead to a society where people are judged based on these traits instead of their own individual capabilities. Will non-perfect humans be rejected? What about parents who do not want to modify any traits of their child, will those children be able to compete with the rest?  What about wrong edits, where an unwanted change may be accidentally triggered. These are all important questions that give rise to the ethical concerns and the dark side of genetic engineering. Working on accuracy and preciseness is also important as otherwise genetic modification could get risky. 




WHAT DOES THE MOVIE GATTACA SHOW US?


Is our spirit more important that our genes? 
Source: https://zenovyap.com/gattaca-fave-quotes/


The movie Gattaca shows a world in which genetic modification is common and is the factor that makes one thrive in society. We see how individuals with "perfect genetic profiles" are considered more superior as compared to those who have a "natural genome."  The concept of "valid" and "invalid" is also explored in the movie where invalids were restricted and were not given the ability to live up to their true potential. The statement "there is no gene for human spirit" is true after all because the movie showed how Vincent was far from perfect but he had the drive and motivation need to achieve and accomplish his goals. His genetic disability did not limit him or stop him from his goals and dreams. Passion and determination go a long way and Vincent was able to prove this to us in the movie. 


In conclusion, the topic of designer babies is complex and there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not it is ethical. Banning it completely would not be a plausible solution as that way the science would just wander off and we could be saving babies with genetic defects like down syndrome. All in all, we need to make sure that the research is guided by caution, reason and transparency. CRISPR technology is scary, but humans have a lot to gain from this. 




References


Kurzgesagt (2016) Genetic engineering will change everything forever – CRISPR. In: YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhjPd4uNFY. Accessed 15 Dec 2022 

Hercher L (2021) A new era of designer babies may be based on overhyped science. In: Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-era-of-designer-babies-may-be-based-on-overhyped-science/. Accessed 15 Dec 2022 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/08/designer-babies-ethical-horror-waiting-to-happen



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