Neelum's Bio Bloggao: November 2009

Is It Morally Right To Let Couples Choose The Genes Of Their Children

Long before 21st century, people envisioned with both, horror and hope, a day when babies could be custom designed - free of inherited diseases, yet equipped with desirable characteristics of the parents. "Designer babies" is a term used by the media and the journalists to describe this soothing yet frightening scenario.

But this frightening scenario is slowly and steadily taking a strong and definite shape in the western world. The Fertility Institutes in New York, Los Angles and Mexico recently stunned the community by being the first one to boldly offer couples the opportunity to screen their embryos not only for diseases but also for gender and other characteristics like eye color, hair color and complexion. The institute proudly claims that it is and will continue to facilitate and provide new, almost any conceivable customization as science makes them available. As couples arrive from around the globe flocking in doors to pay the institute their life's savings for a custom designed baby, opponents hold responsible the institute for shattering moral and ethical boundaries.

Is the institute really accountable and can it really be blamed for shattering moral boundaries? Or is it the "trend" of the western world? Is it the necessity or helplessness of one? Or is it a competition between two?

The answer lies within our own heart and faith. What is morally right or wrong for one might not necessarily be right or wrong for another. Everyone has their own opinions and necessities. If the technology, and research is used in the right manner, that is to help the couples who are actually at a high risk of conceiving a child who can inherit diseases from which the child has a risk of dying very young or even before being born, or to help those who are at a risk of conceiving one with disability, then it could be said to being used in a moral manner. If it is used in the manner of choosing desirable characteristics within a child that the couple wants, like blue eyes and blond hair, then it could said to be going against the moral conduct. Just because they want their child to have their desired characteristics, they are taking away the uniqueness of the child in their hand just to fulfill some of their wishes.

Couples considering this way of "genetic enhancement" should elaborate in thinking about the rights and wrongs about it. Being it very expensive, they need to think about their financial status and what effect will it have on other people who are not a financial status of affording it. They need to think about how their child's behaviour be toward those without genetic enhancement. They need to think about the high risk that is involved in these kinds of experiments. they need to think about all the options, concerns and risks involved in these genetic enhancement experiments.

For some it might be a necessity. But for some it could only be a competition that could put their future child's life at risk. Parents need to think about their child before they actually think about their own desires. Because right can be wrong and wrong can be right for anyone, according to their circumstances. Well, what ever it is, the future will indeed be interesting.