Joshua Haddock

Period 7
Losing More than Free-Will
Ever since humans discovered how to alter the DNA of plants and animals we have
wondered if we should do the same for ourselves. Some people believe that we should be able to
alter the DNA of an unborn child to give it more desirable traits; however, many think that this is
very unethical, and they are right.
Of course the first and most obvious problem with all of this is that by giving the child a
certain set of genes it will be restricting their free-will. With parents choosing what their child
would be like, they would be forced to live out the lives that their parents wanted for them and
not the ones they wanted for themselves. Some would argue that this doesnt matter, as parents
often raise their children to be a certain way. Although a childs upbringing does have a large
effect on their personality how other people around them treat them can also influence their
personality ("Process of Socialization: Personality Development.", Web). So, despite all the
parents do to raise them, the child could still turn out not wanting to use any of the enhanced
abilities given to them by their modified genes.
Some who argue that designer babies could be beneficial to our society argue that its not
all that different than what we are already doing. We are becoming more and more reliant on
technology and some people already have mechanical or technological enhancements to their
bodies (Cho, Web). What they do not realize is that those people had a choice as to whether or
not they made those alterations to themselves, an unborn child cant do that. They cant make

decisions for themselves yet, they cant decide what they do and dont want. Their parents
shouldnt be allowed to make those decisions for them either.
Another big issue with designer babies is how they will affect the rest of us. Take sports,
for example; would it be right to allow athletes whos DNA had been altered to compete with
those who hadnt (Long, Web)? Those people who trained and worked their whole lives to
improve their abilities will be at a massive disadvantage if their competition was already born
stronger or smarter.
An equally serious issue we must address is, what if couples want to deliberately have a
child with certain disabilities or disorders? In the past there have been couples who have wanted
their child to have the same disabilities they had ("Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue.",
Web). Why should parents be allowed to put their children at a disadvantage like that?
One final issue that must be pointed out is how designer babies will further widen the gap
between the wealthy and the poor. The procedure required to put a genetically modified embryo
into a woman, in vitro fertilization (IVF), is expensive and isnt even covered by most insurance
providers in the United States (Long, Web). In addition to money the privileged and wealthy
would now be genetically perfect. Attractive, intelligent, strong, and free from genetic disorders,
leaving the rest of us plagued with forever being impure and inferior.

Works Sited
Cho, Hemmy. "Enhancing Humans Through Science Is Beneficial." Designer Babies. Ed.
Clayton Farris Naff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Ethics of
Designer Babiesand and The Ethics of Transhumanism,." http://www.ethicsofthefuture.com 30
May 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

"Introduction to Designer Babies: At Issue." Designer Babies. Ed. Clayton Farris Naff. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

Long, Heather. "Selecting a Child's Genetic Traits Will Create a Privileged Elite." Human
Genetics. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing
Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Designer Babies: The Ultimate Privileged Elite?" Guardian 9 July
2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

"Process of Socialization: Personality Development." Process of Socialization:

http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_3.htm. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.