THBT parents should be allowed to select for desirable genetic traits in their offspring - moderator's introduction

The Hashmi family made it eventually! They won the case they have been fighting for for weeks after being overturned by the High Court!

The Hashmi family was trying to use preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to give birth to a healthy baby whose cord blood genetically matches the tissues of her 4-year-old son who is affected with a rare deadly disease in an attempt to save him. Yet their wish was denied at first, due to the ethical concerns bounded to this practice. (Continues below the fold.)

by FG

It looks like discovering medical solutions enhanced with the modern technological advances to many serious health-related issues is sometimes not good enough. That is exactly what we are witnessing regarding the so called «designer babies» by targeted altering of the DNA. Science is allowing parents nowadays to literally choose the traits of their offspring like eye colours, gender and height. And that is not everything! You can choose the character of your kids as emotional states are directly linked to the level of the hormones in the blood, which is again determined by the genes in the DNA! It goes without saying that we are able to prevent many genetic diseases or malformations and to give birth to healthier individuals!

Actually the uses of this breakthrough go far beyond all that. Imagine an army of humans made and delivered to the secretary of defence, according to specific requirements and qualifications like sharp sight and big muscles. Imagine a couple seeing a counsellor in order to help them find a common ground about the properties of the kids they want to have and meet their expectations the most. Imagine a child who is not satisfied with his looks, sewing his father for not being responsible enough and not taking the task of determining his portrait seriously. The bottom line is: There is no limit to the consequences of this technology.

This raises of course many obvious ethical issues. We will soon need an updated definition for the expression «human being». We will have to meditate about whether the words father and mother still make sense, as children won't necessarily inherit the genome of their parents. We will soon be having a society made up of individuals who will develop self-esteem issues, and psychological imbalance, feeling they have been assembled of peaces gathered here and there like a machine. The word «soul» will lose its meaning and the inner beauty and the uniqueness of every human being are values that will undoubtedly fade away over the years.

In this context, we find ourselves compelled to step in and take a firm and clear position with respect to the possibility of genetically «designing» a baby, for we will regret not taking action to stop this potential catastrophe that will lead us eventually to our doom, or feel guilty because we are depriving hundreds of thousands of people from living a more fulfilling life, just because we are not ready to deal with ideas we are not accustomed to. The question is: should parents be able to select for desirable genetic traits in their offspring?

FG