The following link is to an article that discusses the controversial topic of designer babies.
http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=3540
The article describes the many potential benefits for future generations as well as the complications that could arise. For instance, the article suggests that one day people would be able to select for traits resulting in higher IQ's, better body shapes and weights, less susceptibility to disease, and even potentially things like the night vision of an owl. However, it later counters this by explaining that these are no where near actual realizations yet. Right now the closest we are to this kind of genetic alteration is gene therapy which is having very little success according to the article. One scientist says gene therapy might as well be called human experimentation. There's no garuntee's and there are still many (700) adverse effects to messing with genes. Also, while pro-designer babies claim their good intentions, they do not consider the socio-economic effects. The people who can afford to make designer babies are the wealthy people already in power and that will lead to their children being in the same positions while the poor will be left behind and unable to compete in the new world dominated by the wealthy designer children. The gap will be even more emphasized between the rich and the poor. Eventually it will be a matter of finances that will decide the people in power rather than democracy. And one thing desginer babies can't fix is greed. If the wealthy people hold all the power and still have greed, then the poor will be at their mercy regardless of any good intentions the parents or scientists had.
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