Final Blog Update

In Praise Of Designer Babies

Designer Babies is a customising your unborn child before birth or plantation of the embryo in your womb through IVF treatment. People have already gone through with this procedure because technology has already been developed for this procedure. Making a Designer Baby is not cheap and usually costs $50,000, so basically not everyone can afford it because of its huge price tag. But the invention of Designer Babies should be praised and also feared at the same time, because of Designer Babies is a invention/procedure that can please a lot of people, for example parents can customise their unborn child and probably making them smarter and have good cosmetic features, and also Designer Babies can help cure some incurable diseases.

This technology is banned or illegal in some countries because some citizens disapprove, like for example in the UK Designer Babies are illegal because people are not allowed to "design" a baby.

Fig. 1

Procedure of Designing the baby

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-DC896_DESIGN_NS_20090211191015.gif

The figure above is explaining the procedure of Designing a baby. First of all it shows the embryo and the biomarker is basically the gene and it requires traits, then it is placed inside the mother's womb then it becomes a baby.

Only embryo's that has a biomarker can pass on the traits selected and then could make a child.

Fig. 2

How embryos are made

http://beginningandend.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Child-with-DNA-of-3-parents-Designer-Babies-New-World-Order.jpg

The figure above is a diagram that shows how embryos are made.

It shows how the mother's egg cell and the father's sperm is combined then it shows the genes and sometimes if there are donor genes like for example someone elses blonde hair gene it will be removed then inserted again

Fig. 3

Genetic Screening

http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1047145003009_2003/03/12/genetics2.jpg

The figure above is a diagram of how Genetic Screening works

Genetic Screening is a big part of making a Designer Baby and it basically analysing embryos.

Fig. 4

Designer Genes

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/EI-CD677_DESIGN_G_20131003123905.jpg

The figure above is a picture explaining the genes system going on in the procedure of Designer Babies

So the embryo is analysed in the computer and then it selects the desired traits that are wanted for the child. Then the genes with be inserted into the embryo

 Fig. 5

Embryo test

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T2MAbj6dV6M/TmjCeYVIzcI/AAAAAAAAHOw/KJDGVKNO95M/s1600/blog+picture.gif

The figure above is a diagram on the new embryo test, now IVF is a big part of Designer Babies because it is basically how the whole procedure works because in the beginning the embryo is taken out of the womb then in the end it is inserted back into the womb and that is basically how IVF works

Bibliography-

"Designer Babies - Playing With Genetics - Genetics Research." Designer Babies - Playing With Genetics - Genetics Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. 

"Designer Babies - Playing With Genetics - Genetics Research." Designer Babies - Playing With Genetics - Genetics Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. <http://geneticsresearch.org/designer-babies-playing-with-genetics.php>.

"Designer Babies." Designer Babies. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <https://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/perspectives/2007/(MM)DesignerBabies.pdf>.

Essay

What is your essay's Research Question:

To what extents will people go to achieve human perfection?

The problem is that people are making new technologies and methods to customise unborn children to their liking. The people that will get affected by this problem, are the people that are not specifically Designer Babies, because if Designer Babies become more of a common thing in the upper class families. The lower class families that can't afford Designer Babies won't be able to have a intelligent child. It is proven that Designer Babies are more smarter than normal babies, because there is a way to modify the genes in the embryo before IVF plantation. A lot of people want their child to be perfect and the way they want the child to be, so they will modify their child the best they can be. This is a huge problem because if Designer Babies continue to grow, the society will be divided into two, the Designer Babies and the Non Designer Babies. The largest impact to this problem is that the community will be divided into two and also it would create another level of racism that has never been before. If this problem was to have expanded it would be worldwide because all the upper class people in the world will choose this path for their child because they would think that it is the best for them. If this problem will not resolve, people will be frightened. People have been using the term "Designer Babies" as a feared word because in their mind, Designer Babies is religious and it can be stated as a act against god, because people are choosing what their child will be like instead of god choosing for them (it can be stated like this is some religions). In the end Designer Babies according to me is the problem because it will cause a huge imbalance in the community between people, and it can cause international worldwide effects.

Designer Babies, is a term used for the customisation of babies in the form before they are born (embryos). Women that are in the upper class request to do something called Designer Baby, which means the scientist will take the embryo of the women and then customise it to the women's liking of how she wants her child to be like. The selected genes is then inserted into the women's embryo and then implanted back into their womb using IVF so the Designer Baby (embryro) and then the baby will be born with the desired characteristics. Making a Designer Baby is very expensive and usually only upper class people can afford Designer Babies, so the people that can't afford Designer Babies usually can't get them. The are a lot of customisations for Designer Babies, just depends how many genes does the scientist that is operating have. The selected genes will be inserted into the embryo.

The main benefit of Designer Babies is that the upper class people can customise their unborn child to their hearts content. They can make their child, have a different type of hair, more intelligence, good health. All the things is already predicted because the women/mom has chosen how he would mostly look like. That is the biggest benefit. When looking at Designer Babies from that point of view, it is actually a great technology that was invented and it has helped people, from the other point of view, Designer Babies is a horrible and that it should stop because it is not fair for the lower class to not be able to get a baby or child as smart as a Designer one.

Human Imperfection is a factor of Designer Babies. Many scientists have tried to create the perfect human, perfect intelligence, perfect body, etc. Creating the perfect human will mean that the perfect sperm has to be matched with the perfect egg and the selected genes has to be really accurate, so it can provide more of those factors of Human Perfection for the Designer Baby. The real question to Human Imperfection in Designer Babies is, Are parents allowed to make their own baby/child? Now for the social factor of Designer Babies, is that once the child has grown, it might not have a stable mind towards the fact that they are genetically modified before birth, their parents chose their factors before birth and he was already "experimented" on before birth (while still in embryo form).

In conclusion Designer Babies is a "Problem" in the world, because it is basically making the perfect human and making the perfect human will make other normal humans at a disadvantage. Designer Babies is a term for genetically modifying embryo's. Parents/Women can choose the characteristics they want in their child so they know everything that they are going to expect, especially the cosmetic features of their child. Designer Babies is still considered as a "Problem" in many countries and now considered illegal, Designer Babies is still a new and very technological invention.

This is a video from Insight, where they talk a little bit about problems and their dislikes on Designer Babies

A Designer Baby?

The facts below is going to be about Designer Babies

Original Paragraphs:


The fear is that in the future we may be able to use genetic technologies to modify embryos and choose desirable or cosmetic characteristics. Designer babies is a term used by journalists to describe this frightening scenario. It is not a term used by scientists.
Advanced reproductive techniques involve using InVitro Fertilisationor IVF to fertilise eggs with sperm in 'test-tubes' outside the mother's body in a laboratory. These techniques allow doctors and parents to reduce the chance that a child will be born with a genetic disorder. At the moment it is only legally possible to carry out two types of advanced reproductive technologies on humans. The first involves choosing the type of sperm that will fertilise an egg: this is used to determine the sex and the genes of the baby. The second technique screens embryos for a genetic disease: only selected embryos are implanted back into the mother's womb. This is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).
Recently scientists have made rapid advances in our knowledge of the human genome and in our ability to modify and change genes. In the future we may be able to "cure" geneticy diseases in embryos by replacing faulty sections of DNA with healthy DNA. This is called germ line therapy and is carried out on an egg, sperm or a tiny fertilised embryo. Such therapy has successfully been done on animal embryos but at present it is illegal to do this in humans.

Key Ideas:

Designer Babies is using genetic technologies to modify embryos and choose cosmetic characteristics.
Designer Babies is a term used to describe this frightening scenario.
Designer Babies involve IVF (InVitro Fertilisation).
People can choose the gender of their baby by choosing the perfect type of sperm.
People can also screen embryos for genetic disease and then only selected embryos are implanted back into the womb.
Scientists have found out a way to modify and change genes which basically mean that scientists can choose the characteristics of your child just by doing the procedures in the laboratory
This is legal to do on animals, but then illegal to do on humans

Bibliography:

"What is a designer baby?." What is a designer baby?. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm>.

Paraphrasing:

Designer Babies is basically using genetic technologies to modify embryos, basically scientists take a women's embryo and then customise it to the women's likings, and that is basically choosing cosmetic characteristics, so when the embryo is customised it will be inserted into the women's womb and it will become a customised baby. A lot of journalists use the Designer Babies term for the frightening scenario of customised babies or children. From the facts that has already been given, Designer Babies is using the IVF procedure, because the women's embryo is being taken out and then inserted back into the womb. As from the facts, Designer Babies is customising your baby before birth, so people can choose the specific gender by inserting the perfect sperm into the egg. Also people can take out the diseases and only insert the selected embryos. Scientists can modify and change genes depending on the likes of the women/mom. The women/mom can choose the characteristics for the Designer Baby so it can suit her liking, and also Designer babies are legal to do on animals, but it is illegal to do to real life human is some places.

This video is explaining more about IVF and Designer Babies, so things can clear up

Designer Babies explanation video by DNews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sspJ3QNtcY

Update #1

The Pros and Cons of Designer Babies


Original Paragraphs:

The process of creating a “designer baby” is often questioned because of it’s shaky moral platform. Though there are certainly some positive things that can be obtained from the use of genetic engineering used on unborn babies, but it is often wondered if parents will have the “right” reasons to genetically modify their baby, or if reasoning will become more superficial. Here are some of the cons associated with the genetic engineering of babies:

• Parents may use this technology for superficial purposes; such as purposely seeking out a blonde haired, blue eyed baby for appearance concerns only.
• Could create a gap in society. “Designer” babies would most likely be better looking, smarter, etc. This could create “classes” between designer and non designer babies.
• The procedure is not cheap, and not everyone would be able to afford it. Could create prejudice between “Designer” and “non designer” children. Could cause the “non-designer” children to miss opportunities because jobs among other things are more likely to take the “optimum” candidate for something.

Key Ideas:

• Parents may use this technology for superficial purposes, such as purposely making the baby blonde haired, blue eyed baby and for appearance concerns only.
• If designer babies become a bigger thing, there would be a huge gap in the community because the society would be divided into the children normally given birth and then the designer babies.
• The procedure of making designer babies is not cheap and not everyone will be able to afford get a designer baby. 
• Also designer babies is said to be more better looking, smarter and etc.
• Non designer babies might not get a good job because the designer baby is more smarter, so then the community would be unfairly unbalanced.

Source in MLA:

"THE PROS AND CONS OF "DESIGNER BABIES"." The Ethics of Designer Babies. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://designerbabiesethics.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/the-cons-of-designer-babies/>.

Paraphrasing:

Nowadays something called "Designer babies" are being developed. Designer babies in my point of view is basically customising an embryo before plantation in the IVF procedure. A lot of parents may use this technology for superficial purposes, like for example purposely making the baby have blonde hair, blue eyed and all this is just for appearance concerns only. If Designer babies become a more larger or bigger thing that people do frequently, The whole community of the world will change because according to the website where I collected my information from, Designer babies or "customised" babies will be alot smarter and good looking than normal babies. Also Designer babies are not cheap so not everyone can afford them, that is why some children might have a bigger advantage at landing a better job than the normal baby because it might not be as smart and good looking as a Designer baby. So if alot of rich people get Designer babies, the community would be unfairly unbalanced because the rich people will get the good jobs and good future, meanwhile the less fortunate will suffer alot because of the division of the society between Designed children and normal children. That is why human imperfection can be a problem.

a.       In brief describe about this application (what is it all about?)

Designer Babies is a advanced reproductive technology, which allows parents and docters to see embryos for genetic disorders and also to pick healthy emnryos. In the future we might have access to the embryo so we can choose characteristics and cosmetics, and then the embryo will be put inside a womens uterus for birth through IVF (InVitro Fertiliation). So the main purpose of Designer Babies is to make customizable children by putting the wanted characteristics into the embryo into the womans uterus.

b.      What are some benefits of this application?

 .

The Benefits of Designer Babies is so there is the option of making a customizable baby through planting wanted characteristics into the embryo and then the rest is IVF (InVitro Fertlization)

c.       What are some future improvements which still need to be done to make this application perfect (limitations)?

Designer babies can be more effective if the customizable features get improved and also if more technology can handle this Designer baby more easier and quicker.

d.      What issues (social, economic, ethical, political or cultural) are currently related to the use of this application worldwide?

The ethical problem with Designer babies is that it is not good to do because it is basically cheating life. The political problem with Designer babies is that it is a expensive procedure. The social problem is that this might affect the baby if he finds out he was customized before he was born.