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Mya Verrone
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1104
February 10, 2018
Hand Crafted Babies; A Super Race?

Introduction/Overview

For my topic of inquiry this semester, I will be analyzing the severity of having access to
hand craft an embryo and essentially build your own baby. I will thoroughly examine the
potential dangers of this and how it might affect social classes and the possibility for these
designer babies to turn into a consumer good. The actual process of being able to create your
own baby is still not available to the public today, but recent scientific discoveries and
procedures involving in vitro fertilization from two mothers and a father have made this a hot
topic recently. Recently in New Jersey, a doctor impregnated infertile women by using the genes
from a father and two different mothers by using gene splicing. This caused the birth of two
children with altered genomes. With the process of splicing genes, it has put the scientific ability
to alter the human genome and essentially “hand pick” the traits of children in reach of the near
future. Following the incident in New Jersey, many fear that this will cause an even greater
divide between the rich and poor citizens of the world. After these cases had been made known
to the public, the American Association for the Advancements of Science announced that
altering the genetic blueprint of an embryo is banned until there can be a panel conducted by the
government to research and analyze the effects and dangers that this could possibly cause.
When I was looking for more information about my topic, I started while we were having
our class in the library. Our instructor directed me to a website called “CQ Researcher”. This
website helped me find many articles regarding my topic. I especially love this website because
it provided me with all the latest talk and current events surrounding my topic. The first article i
clicked on gave me tons of information regarding physicians opinions about the topic, thorough
details about how the procedure works, possible risks and benefits of this new possibility and
what research lead to the discovery. This topic is very new and has a lot of buzz around it
currently. I also used the library search engine to find multiple articles about the possible effects
on society and social classes that this might have.The article from CQ Researcher, “Designer
Babies” discusses how the upper class already has an upper hand and access to better quality
health care, private schooling and more resources to put them ahead and have a sense of
superiority over the rest of the population. Debates and opinions reveal the fear that this might
potentially cause a gap that is too wide between the two classes. In other articles and resources
that I have found while researching express how doctors and medical professionals have been
arguing whether or not this should not be a possibility that the public has access to. Like I
previously mentioned, they fear that this will cause an even bigger divide in the social classes
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and even potentially cause a new social class all together. Although there is already resentment
towards the upper class by many below them, people express concern for the resentment and
potentially fear of the upper class will grow and that this will eventually lead to rebellion. People
also fear that this will cause a new social class all together for the biologically disadvantaged. If
it becomes allowed to alter the human genome in embryonic cells, recent discussion and debate
in CNN news article “The Slow Crawl To Designer Babies” show that parents will be likely to
chose babies with the most advanced and superior genes. This could remove all genetic
mutations leaving all of those affected by the procedure more healthy, strong, attractive and
intelligent than those who have children naturally, therefore leaving them in the biologically
disadvantages class.
However, in an interview done by the CQ Research article “Designer Babies”, a professor
who is pro genetic manipulation states that this procedure, like many other scientific procedures
would soon become less expensive and available and affordable to most people. With this
possibility, it is debated that this could help improve the lives of millions of people, not just the
wealthy and upper class. Another concept that is predicted and debated is the introduction of
these superior genes to the lower classes through natural reproduction. If a slight population of
the world is altering the genes of their offspring, over time these genes will be passed down and
inherited through all social classes anyways. We can think of this as natural selection. Those
better suited for the environment will live and pass on their genetically superior genes until all
bad genes are weeded out.
While I was reading the article I became fascinated by the information and opinions of
well respected physicians and scientists. The varying opinions and debate shows great
complexity surrounding this topic and I think that there will be mass amounts of information for
me to look through and analyze. People are fascinated in this new potential procedure because
with new technologies and discoveries, people will be able to pick what traits their child will
have. This means they can choose eye color, hair color, muscle mass percentage, height,
intelligence etc. This is also desirable because it would give doctors the chance to eliminate
genetically inherited diseases like diabetes or genes that produce or make one prone to
developing cancer. CNN’s article “The Slow Crawl To Designer Babies” announces that a
procedure has been discovered that can eliminate the genetic mutation of epilepsy or blindness
by replacing a mutated mitochondria with a healthy one and insert it into the cytoplasm. The
procedure used one fathers genetic material and two mothers genetic materials. This is similar to
the in vitro fertilization done in New Jersey that I mentioned in previous paragraphs. This would
eliminate the disorder of epilepsy and blindness, but it was banned from being used in humans
by the Food and Drug Administration. However, procedures like this are not banned all over the
world. This same use of science is used and legal in the United Kingdom. There has been much
debate around this idea. Would the elimination of genetically inherited genes that cause disease
be killing of the impoverished population? Will this help improve the quality of life for many
people and lower the death rates?
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In an article that I found through CQ Research while researching, a physician states that
this could possibly have the potential to increase the lifespan of a human to 150 to 200 years.
Some argue that this would not be beneficial to the earth and how resources are utilized.Concern
has been expressed that this would cause overcrowding and lead us with not enough resources
and food to feed the population if it grows and flourishes at this rate. Again, the long term effects
of a procedure like this is hard to predict. We do not yet know the magnitude of this possibility
and how it will affect the people who participate and the world itself.
A concern of many physicians is that this will cause babies that are genetically chosen to
become consumer goods. People are arguing that if someone can hand craft a baby, they will
pick it to be the most superior. In the midst of all this, the parent will not love the child as much
as one that they made themselves naturally. They will look at it as a consumer product. A
physician in the article from CQ Researcher argues that no matter what type of genetic
enhancement their child has, they will love them the same as a naturally conceived child. Parents
will parent how they want regardless. Parenting is done different all of the world and why would
being able to create genetically modified babies stop a parent form parenting how they want and
loving their children as they want. It is argued that there would be no direct correlation of how a
parent loves their child. On the other hand, people fear that these babies will be viewed as
products. If a child is made to be intelligent or athletically superior, this will have an affect on
how the child is raised and loved. Some believe that the happiness of these children might be
affected and it could decrease the quality of life for the children who are modified and superior.
Another issue that is debated is why is this legal in some places and illegal in others. The
article “UK Scientists Given Go-Ahead To Genetically Modify Human Embryos” that I found
through CNN, states that in China, a study was conducted that affected those with blood clot
disorders. Although they did not use genetic manipulation to insert into infertile mothers, they
altered the genome of an individual to cure a disorder. This is not legal in the United States but is
practiced in China and other parts of the world. In the same article it also states that in the United
Kingdom, it is legal to alter genetic material for research purposes only. The research can not be
used of tested in humans what so ever. In April of last year, the United States Health Institute
declared that they would not fund any research on embryonic gene altering. Without this kind of
research funding, the concept of designer babies may not be made accessible quite yet, but a
professor says that he is certain that by the end of the century, designer babies will become a
reality.
There is great complexity around this topic. It could improve the quality of life for
thousands of people. This will give doctors the ability to look at the genetic blueprint of embryos
from an early stage, erase the gene that is mutated or messed up and insert a new healthy one.
The elimination of many genetically inherited diseases could essentially be erased all together.
The concern is will doctors and scientists go to far and alter the genetic makeup of an embryo
regarding things like physical traits and try to make a superior race. Do the medical advantages
that this procedure would give us outweigh the controversy and possibility of causing a divide
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between social classes and violate the ethical beliefs of many people. How safe is the procedure
and what will be the long term consequences of altering the genetic blueprint.
Initial Inquiry Question
My initial inquiry question is should the availability of being able to custom design a
baby be available to the public? I want to analyze how this availability will affect social classes.
Will it widen the gap between proverishd people and wealthy people. Another question that is
trending right now regarding this topic is how will this improve the quality of life for people who
are affected by the procedure. Many scientists want to go through with this so that they can
eliminate mutations in genes. These mutation can cause disease, disorders and health issues. If
the public and government give the go ahead on this type of procedure, it is possible that we can
eliminate a lot of diseases and therefore increase the quality and duration of lives of millions of
people. If this goes through though, how will it affect the people of a given population? Will the
world become too overcrowded? There are many areas of debate that can be discussed and many
potential issues that need to be anticipated and debated before this become legal. All of these
questions will essentially support and make up my inquiry question of “should the availability of
being able to custom design a baby be available to the public.” With through examination of all
of the questions previously stated above, I think that I will be able to gather enough information
to help support my question. However, I do not think that this will be a topic that can have only
one question of inquiry. I think that through my research process, I will build on to my inquiry
question and make it more complex and I gain more knowledge on the subject I am studying. My
specific question of inquiry is the first sentence of the paragraph, but all of these other questions
will need to be researched to help answer my initial question.
My Interest In This Topic
I am interested in this topic because I am extremely intrigued by science and the ability
scientists have to design a procedure of this complexity. I want to analyze the process of how it
is done and how they came up with the idea to do this. Although I am not sure what side I will
take when it comes to prodesign babies or against design babies. I do think that the possibility
that it is even possible is remarkable. Someone being able to take different genetic makeup,
separate the material by traits and mutations and create a whole new embryo with the desirable
traits is amazing. Yes it's unnatural, but its brilliant. Scientists are approaching the breakthrough
of erasing mutated genes and getting rid of disease. This will improve the lives of so many
people. I think that that alone is so interesting.
I am also fascinated by the social aspects that must be considered here. I have always been
curious how social classes interact with one another and how being in a certain class affects the
lives of people so drastically. I tend to not think much about people who are not in my same
social class but I am realizing that it is an important thing to consider. With this procedure, many
people predict that this will cause even more resentment against the middle and upper class.
People say that the people who are genetically superior will think that they are above or better
than the people who cannot afford it. In an article that I read, it even addressed the possibility of
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the resentment and fear of the genetically superior might even cause those who are inferior to
rebel. This would lead to the possibility of war and conflict. I am also interested because there is
now talk of the possibility of this procedure to cause a new social class altogether, “The
genetically inferior”.
In addition, it is also fascinating to me that people also are worried that these babies may
turn into consumer goods. Is it possible that the parents of these children will solely think of
them as a consumer good? Or will the parent still love the child the same way that they would
love a child that was conceived naturally. I am interested in this topic because I am interested in
the field of medicine. While researching this topic, I get to study what I love. I think the way that
the human body works is fascinating. I think that the technology that has been created and made
available to scientists is so advanced and complex. I want to understand it and possibly one day
be able to make discoveries to help improve the lives of others. It is exciting to me to see what
new discoveries are out there and to know that if I stay focused and on track, one day I could
potentially be along side of these types of people making discoveries of my own that could
revolutionize medicine and the way we use technology. I did not know much about this topic
before I started researching. I knew about the basic process that is involved regarding in vitro
fertilization and how it has help many infertile parents have children. I knew the basic setup of a
cell and how an embryo is formed. I am familiar with the interior structures of the cell and how
each biological molecule carries out a specific function and how they all work together to make a
life work and function properly. I also now how a mutation in one of these biological molecules
can cause disease and disorders in humans and how sever the consequences could be. It can and
often does make the life of those affected hard. And I know that by correcting these mutations it
could save the lives and improve the quality of people's lives drastically of millions of people. I
want to learn more in depth how the embryos are altered and what equipment is involved in the
process. I want to learn how close we are to having this be an actual possibility for people. I want
to learn how people predict this might eventually affect society and the social classes. I hope to
learn what people think about the morals surrounding this topic and if that will keep this from
being made legal.
Next Step
I will next go to CNN, Abc news, CQ research, the library and other respected scientific
journals. Through these resources I will be able to find the answers to hopefully all of my
questions. Since my topic is so complex, I can not simply use one inquiry question. I must
analyze all aspects of the discussion surrounding this debate. In order to grasp my topic in every
way, I must do more research to understand exactly how the process is done and how the
procedure works. I will find information on that by typing key words like “gene splicing” and
“designer babies” into the J. Murrey Atkins library search engine and search through all the
articles that relate to my topic. I also will look at blog posts, journal articles and interviews
regarding people's opinions of this topic. I would like to learn more about each side of this
argument and why people think it should be legal or why is should be banned. After researching
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this, I will do some light research on the social classes and the social divide. I will use CQ
research for this type of information. Having an understanding on the social gap now will help
me better understand the concern and possible complications that could happen if this gap
widens due to genetic manipulation. After researching all of these things, if I have any other
questions that I feel are important to research, I will continue accordingly by using websites like
CNN, CQ research and medical websites and journals.