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Essay / Designer Babies: Genetic Enhancement Technology
How ready is society to advance genetic enhancement technology before it becomes a moral wrong? Medical technology is poised to allow parents to create tailor-made babies, allowing them to choose the physical and internal qualities of their unborn children. Due to technological advances allowing parents to genetically engineer their own child, the American Medical Association (AMA) should create stricter codes of medical ethics and laws imposing limitations. Manipulating embryos to create a parent's ideal child is morally wrong and should be against ethical codes. In order to create a fine line between enhancement that prevents disease and birth defects, and the self-centered society that prefers children with few or no defects; laws of ethics in medical practice must be implemented. Therefore, through distinguished lines of medical ethics, society will not become divided and unrecognizable because of genetically enhanced humans. Overview of the Problem Above all, engineers advance medical technology, enabling the enhancement of children before they are born. Mothers and fathers would decide a child's genes, including their interests, appearance and talents. Parents would become self-centered and obsessed with the idea of a perfect child. While in fact Shaw notes, “something that is not perfect can still be valuable” (409). The child's freedom of choice would be threatened. Children would no longer be able to decide whether they want to play a sport or learn an instrument, it would be ingrained in their DNA. Religion also conflicts with the creation of designer babies. A parent decides that every gene in their child is against God's will. Children are expected to grow and develop middle of paper. Technology would be used more and save society. Overall, instead of designer babies becoming an improvement, society would be devastated with destruction. Works Cited “About the Ethics Group”. American Medical Association, nd Web. May 27, 2014. .Dahl, Edgar. “Babies By Design: A Response to Martin Johnson’s Moral Case Study of Tissue Typing.” Reproductive Biomedicine Online (Reproductive Healthcare Limited) 9.6 (2004): 597-598. Academic research completed. Internet. May 23, 2014. Davis, John. “Selection of potential children and unconditional parental love.” Bioethics 22.5 (2008): 258-268. Academic research completed. Internet. May 23, 2014. Shaw, David. “Deaf by Design: Disability and Impartiality.” Bioethics 22.8 (2008): 407-413. Academic research completed. Internet. May 23 2014.