DESIGNER+BABIES+2010

= I**f you** could pick every feature of your baby, before he or she is born, would you? = = =
 * ==The "perfect" baby?==


 * ==Is it ethical to design your child?==

What is a Test Tube Baby?
In this system of fertilization, the egg is fertilized outside the woman’s body and is then transferred inside the uterus. Woman up to the age of 38 can get it done. Injections are given to produce eggs. Then an egg is taken from the ovary by a very thin needle through vagina. Now this egg is placed in the incubator before it is fertilized. During incubation, the sperm are collected from the male partner and washed. Fertilization is then done in especially prepared fluid medium and after 12 hours the egg starts dividing into cells. About 48-72 hours later, the embryos become ready for transfer. The embryos are kept under observation for 2-3 days and then the best-selected embryo is transferred into the lady’s uterus. What is a Test Tube Baby?

= Test Tube Babies: Podcast = This Podcast talks about the controversial topic that is Designer Babies. It is an interview of an author in the field of test tube babies, Robin Marantz Henig, and she mentions some key players that are for and against the creation of designer and test tube babies. She also compares how the reaction of the public to in vitro fertilization was extremely similar to how the public is reacting to designer babies today. [|Test Tube Babies]

= Are In Vitro births creating an infertile generation?: Podcast = = = This podcast discusses the issue of in vitro births. The question is brought up whether two infertile people having a child will cause a large portion of the next generation to be infertile. There are many scientists that believe in this and one voices his opinion in this podcast. [|Infertile Generation]

= 'Designer Baby' ethics fear: BBC Radio = This is a topic that appeared on BBC Radio. It questions the ethics of creating a test tube baby in general, but it also questions this specific case. In this case, a family's daughter was suffering from Fanconi anemia and her parents created a test tube baby with a perfect tissue match to save their daughters life. The main question in the article is if this is taking preimplantation genetic diagnosis too far, or is it worth it to save a life. [|BBC Radio: Taking PGD too far]

= BBC: Woman's Hour = The radio host discusses a lesbian couple in the U.S. that purposely chose to have a deaf child, when they themselves are deaf. Two guests speak about this as well, but they have opposing opinions. One believes they have the right to seek out a deaf male to have a deaf baby. The other believes it is depriving the child’s natural rights and the couple harmed it by wanting him to be deaf. Parents should want to enhance children’s health developments and not diminish it. Though it is not quite like genetic engineering, the idea of “designing” a child by purposely wanting it deaf is similar. [|BBC Radio: Woman's Hour]

= Health watch: Designer babies = This video talks solely about the possibilities of designer babies. In one point of the article a doctor says that it is his duty as a medical doctor to allow his patients to choose their child's sex and eye color among other things. He also says that by the end of 2010 this system will be able to change the sex of a baby with one hundred percent certainty, and the eye color with eighty percent certainty. Then, there is an interview with another scientist in the field that says that designer babies are morally wrong so this video gives a look into both ends of the spectrum. [|CBS News Healthwatch: Designer Babies] []

**Designer Babies in our Future?: Blog & News Article**
The first in-vitro genetically altered baby was created in 2006. The mother has a hereditary form of eye cancer that her child was nearly guaranteed to have. The couple created the embryo by IVF (In vitro fertilization cases and the associated problems. IVT babies have - fertilizing outside of the womb). In doing this, doctors were able to genetically modify the baby by externally testing the embryos for the cancer gene, and only transferring the unaffected cells to the womb.

The initial line of thought in this procedure is great -- who wouldn't want to prevent their child from developing a low birth weight and life-altering/deadly disease? But thinking on the broader spectrum of life, if this becomes a trend, we'll all become identical clones of the "perfect human". Mistakes and weaknesses are what adds variety to society, making us much more likely to be born prematurely. This may be a sign that nature should interesting and beautiful. Also, these genetically-altering processes are expensive; if the rich are the only people able to afford to alter their offspring to be stronger, smarter, better, faster, taller, etc., our reality would become unnecessarily extreme. Similar to the movie Gattaca, the poor would not be tampered with. able to afford the pre-birth alteration procedures, and therefore poor families would be physically and mentally inferior, and more prone to diseases and sickness. The upper-class rich folks would be extremely superior and healthy, and the lower-class poor citizens would be very inferior and less healthy.

[|Blog: Woman in Europe & Genetically Altered Baby] == [|News Article: English Woman Fixes Embryo to Save Child from Likely Eye Cancer]

News Articles:
This article looks back at the first in-vitro fertilization cases and the associated problems. IVT babies have a low birth weight and are more likely to be born prematurely. This may be a sign that nature should not be tampered with. [|IVT: 30 Years Later]

[|Breast Cancer Screening]In the UK, families with a history of breast cancer are screening their embryos for the harmful genes. Four women with strong histories of breast cancer are candidates for the procedure. Doctors treating the women will apply to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) next month for a license for the new test. More: [|BRCA1]

[|Choose the gender] This family has had 3 boys. They want a girl. It would be very easy to alter the genetics to give them a girl. But is it ethical?

[|IVT Recently] Designer babies are becoming increasingly more feasible. People are not opposed to it for major diseases but it becomes a large subject of debate when minor faults are considered. Additionally, new technology will make designer babies the logical choice and people will begin to accept the technology.

[|Interview with IVT Expert] This includes an interview with one of the leading researchers in this field. In Los Angeles last month, a fertility clinic let couples choose their child’s sex and eye color. It was subsequently shut down in early March. The debate is contained with the WIRED writer playing devil’s advocate.

= Scholarly Articles =

[|Designer Babies: Eugenics Repackaged or Consumer Options?] This article provides the history of human manipulation of the reproduction process. It includes the birth of Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby. Also, the author provides the pros and cons of the genetic engineering of human beings. Arguments against designer babies include breeding a race of super humans who look down on those without the “perfect” traits, damaging the gene pool, and terminating embryos.

[|California fertility doctor's offer of trait selection stirs ethical questions] This article is about how trivial it is to use resources for cosmetic alterations on babies. These alterations help increase the probabilities of a certain hair color and complexion. It also worries the author that this trait selection will lead to a different form of discrimination. So, this is not worth investing in.

= Designer Babies/Genetic Engineering in Popular Culture = ==

Movies: Gattaca My Sister's Keeper

Novel: __My Sister's Keeper Maximum Ride__

Television: Tales from the Darkside Batman Beyond

Video Games: Halo Bioshock

= RSS Feeds =

rss url="http://www.medpagetoday.com/About/Medical-News-RSS-Feeds/" link="true" description="true" number="5"http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/atom.xml http://www.genengnews.com/media/files/news_feed.xml http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/feed/

= = = Game: Design a Baby =


 * [|Design a Baby]

= Discussion Questions =

1. After reading all of this information about designer babies and seeing how it is done and both sides of the argument, should people be able to determine the sex of their baby?

2. If you, personally, were given the opportunity to "design" your babies, would you take the opportunity?

3. Is "designing babies" unethical? As a member of today's youth, how does it conflict with your views on religion?

4. Given the rise in genetic mapping and links to diseases, is it ethical to 'turn off' problem genes that would result in such diseases as breast cancer?