Since beginning of the steady increase in technology availability and invention, many otherwise impossible medical procedures have arisen. Artificial livers and heart transplants are just a few medical wonders that have been performed. Another uprising idea, that has also led to a controversial discussion that could possible match the debate surrounding abortion, is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering according to dictionary.com is the “development and application of scientific methods, procedures, and technologies that permit direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population.” In other words it is the ability to pick and choose genetic traits in your unborn baby. With these new methods you could select the sex which is done by sorting the male carrying sperm from the female carrying sperm and using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to impregnate the woman, or you can have the embryo screened for potential genetic disorders and match DNA with your other children to see if they carry the same hereditary diseases.
While genetic engineering opens many possibilities for crop production and other agricultural aspects, it should not apply to the human species. It is completely and totally unethical to create a “designer baby”.
When we are given the chance to alter the DNA we are taking into our hands a role that is so much bigger than us. We aren’t supposed to play the part of God. That’s not the purpose. And part of the total experience of pregnancy is the anticipated waiting of is it a girl or boy. When you find out, it’s almost always an exciting occurrence. And when they are born, it’s miraculous in the way that you had a hand in helping bring that child to life. But having too big a hand isn’t always the best thing. Like the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”, this too could lead to disaster.
When someone decides that natural selection isn’t good enough for them, they degrade appreciation and variation of life itself. People are different. And they are supposed to be different. There is a reason for everything and changing the natural course of things for the selfish desire of perfection is wrong.
The creation of genetically chosen and altered humans could evolve into a super race. Imagine a world where everyone is perfect; where if you aren’t a “chosen” one, you fall behind the ideal standard. While this idea is somewhat science fiction now, if we continue on this path towards ultimate flawlessness the probability of that strange notion coming true greatly increases.
Someone who agrees with the idea and innovation of genetic engineering would have you believe that it will someday cure the world of hereditary and genetic diseases and eliminate the unsuitable candidates for life. They wish for you to imagine how many children would be saved from Down’s syndrome and how many less abortions would be performed. First of all, if we eliminated abortion all together it would lessen the abortion number too, but that’s an argument for another day. Can you imagine the world without special needs children? They are just as important to society as others. In fact, there are many people with a hereditary disease, especially Down’s, that have contributed greatly to society. Judith Scott, renowned artist, is just one example of this. While genetic engineering could be perhaps helpful, the possibility of it turning into a perfection-driven campaign is great. The solution to this problem isn’t eradicating these diseases, its learning to accept them.
Every individual person has worth. By making how someone looks or how they are mentally a factor in that worth, we take away the value of uniqueness in the entity. Happiness isn’t determined by the state of someone’s genes and the physical traits that evolve from them. It’s determined by who you are.
