There are always new medical and technological advances happening in the world. Sometimes, the two overlap. Doctors across the world are pushing towards a new breakthrough: designer babies. The name is not a scientific term, of course, as genetic engineering has become a possibility due to in vitro fertilization. IVF, or in vitro fertilization, gained momentum when couples who were unable to naturally conceive, were able to have a child of their own.
Not so long ago, this was a mysterious procedure that allowed children to be conceived outside of a mother’s womb. Giving men and women who were previously unable to conceive the possibility of having a child shows the advancements in science and technology. However, the ability to pick and choose specific appearance and personality traits isn’t an idea that society is completely ready to handle. In vitro fertilization has positive possibilities, however, creating a designer baby is morally and socially inept.
Supporters of genetic engineering claim that the ability to choose the traits of a child will allow the child to be the best possible version of themselves. Often times, parents try to mold their children into what they think will make them the most successful and happy. And with IVF, those parents would be able to conveniently do that molding before the child is even born. Those potential parents or scientists would assert that the parents would be doing what the child would want. What child wouldn’t want to be smarter, healthier, and better looking? The parents believe that they know what is best for the child and that they are simply trying to start their children off in this world with the best opportunity to have a successful and fulfilling life. Supporters of reproductive technology could also argue that IVF would reduce or prevent from a child’s suffering of physical and mental illnesses. Taking away the costs and emotional strain of raising a child who is ill would be a positive advancement in technology.
Although IVF could allow a parent to choose the best possible version of their child, it also creates a new way to abuse and manipulate technology in a way that has never been done previously. Parents would be given the opportunity to "play God" by being able to make choices and decisions for their children before they have even been conceived. Each individual is given choices each and every day. Whether that choice be as small as choosing a brand of coffee at the grocery store or a choice as large as having to decide which of two children to save such as in "Sophie's Choice" (both a great book and movie, by the way). However, by deciding the personality and appearance traits of a child before they are born, that takes away the possibility of many choices that are made in life.
By allowing a parent to make that choice, the person whose life they are affecting doesn’t get that choice for themselves. A possibility that may arise in the near future is that designing your baby may be as simple as creating a stuffed toy at Build-A-Bear. Picking and choosing the traits of your potential child means having to accept the potential consequences of artificial happiness.
True happiness does not come from having your eyes be a brilliant shade of blue or by being able to dunk a basketball. True happiness comes from accepting personal imperfections and knowing that life is a beautiful adventure. Complete, incandescent happiness is not learned at birth, but rather through a lifetime (no matter how short or long) of learning and loving.
A world in which each and every individual was happy would be a wonderful thing, however, that is not currently the situation. If people were conditioned to be truly happy with what is given to them, those same people may live their life without truly knowing what truth and beauty is.
Many people would not agree (including myself) that truth and beauty help to keep the world turning. Many artists and celebrities would not have the career and fame that they do if the world was conditioned to live without art and entertainment. Artificial happiness can still bring conflict and resentful feelings towards other people. In that case, the happiness isn’t real and wouldn’t work in today’s society.
Although the idea of everyone being truly happy is a great idea, I do not believe that every individual can have complete happiness. My reasoning for this opinion is that there is too much greed and selfishness in the world causing some people’s happiness to come from others’ suffering. In society’s current condition, the only way to create a world in which every person was perfectly happy would be to create a world in which happiness was conditioned rather than obtained. However, by creating a world in which every person’s fate was decided for them, there would be an inadequate amount of idiosyncrasies.
The ability to genetically alter a child could potentially take away individualism. Creating a world in which every individual is the same would take away from new advancements and creativity brought from people who weren’t afraid to be shunned by their differences in ideas. Conformity creates a society in which being the exact same is seen as the normal. Creativity and diversity creates the universe that we live in and makes up the people that live in it. People are not simple creatures, and by designing a child through simple questions, simple children are conceived. Designer babies may be the best version of a child, however, it takes away the possibility of continuous growth and individuality.
The creation of in vitro fertilization allowed those unable to conceive on their own, to gain help in starting their adventure as parents. However, IVF has continued to advance since its beginnings creating the possibility of designer babies. Although in vitro fertilization could potentially prevent physically and mentally harmful diseases, allowing a child to be designed by their parents could take away from the unconditional love of parents while also taking away the child’s individuality. The ability to pick and choose appearance and personality traits of an unborn child, will have many moral and social consequences.
