Welcome to the future! We can now offer you the option of choosing your new baby's hair, eye AND skin color!
Please, any thoughts would be appreciated, I am not sure what to make of this.

Custom-made babies delivered: Fertility clinic doctor's design-a-kid offer creates uproar (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/02/2009-03-02_custommade_babies_delivered_fertility_cl.html)

A Brief Summary:

"Fertility Doc will soon offer parents choice on babies' eye, hair color

New York-Do you want blue eyes with your baby? That's one of the questions a fertility clinic will be asking when it begins offering custom-designed babies to would-be moms and dads. Dr. Jeff Steinberg, who operates clinics in Manhattan and Los Angeles, says that within 6 months he plans to let customers choose their baby's eye, hair and even skin color. Steinberg, who helped produce the first test tube baby, admits the technology is not 100 percent perfect and says best results are couples with Scandinavian heritage, whose gene pools are least diluted. Critics, though, have blasted the idea of designer babies, likening it to the pursuit of a master race."Article from Times Herald Record, March 4th,2009

I can only imagine the problems this will create for the health of the child. Isn't half the joy of bringing a child into the world that it's a perfect mix of you and your significant other?

I have to question why anyone would feel the need to engineer their children. It's no better than deciding to abort them for any reason, it's just one more way to decide which babies have enough value to live and be loved. I'm sure the Third Reich and Margaret Sanger would be proud.

Yet another thing that I do not understand. Why do people tamper with The All Mighty's creations?

Eugenics... trying to build the proper Übermensch... Nietzsche would be proud. You are right jennifer .it's an attempt to make God irrelevant. The goal is to make humans a bridge between animals and the Übermensch.

Yet another thing that I do not understand. Why do people tamper with The All Mighty's creations?
You mean like plastic surgery?

I'm OK with this process only if the child is going to be born with a terminal disorder or the family has had a history of heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, or something of that nature. I don't think the doctors should tamper with colors of any sort, height, or anything that is physically visible. If you are short and dark/light skinned you should not have any say in changing those characteristics. I think that the technology should only be used to remove some sort of ailment. Of course this brings up the issue of longevity, world food shortage, the cost of healthcare, etc. This is just another bag of worms waiting to be opened.

You mean like plastic surgery?

Not exactly. One is you deciding what to do with your body and the other is deciding the fate of someone else's life.

Not exactly. One is you deciding what to do with your body and the other is deciding the fate of someone else's life.
Aren't they both "tampering with The All Mighty's creation"? Same with taking steroids.

Aren't they both "tampering with The All Mighty's creation"? Same with taking steroids.

You honestly can't see the difference between tampering with genetics to build your baby and a nose job? With that logic we might as well not get haircuts, shave, fill cavities, or trim our nails.

I can tell the difference but using the reasoning that's it's "tampering with The All Mighty's creation" brings up a bigger picture. I'm sure the tampering issue doesn't stop at the exit of the vulva. It's more of an ethical issue than a religious one. I agree with thoughtiwastheman's post above just for the record.

I want my kid to grow up to be a 6'2" 200 lb. left handed athlete who can thow a 90 mph hook .

Too late for that!

I can tell the difference but using the reasoning that's it's "tampering with The All Mighty's creation" brings up a bigger picture. I'm sure the tampering issue doesn't stop at the exit of the vulva. It's more of an ethical issue than a religious one. I agree with thoughtiwastheman's post above just for the record.

I'm sure Trig Palin will thank God he has the parents he does. I agree with tom, but the ethical considerations should be quite in line with the religious. It's tampering with innocent human life and that should be reason enough to throw up a very red flag.

Trig would not have Down's if his chromosomes were allowed to be manipulated in this instance. I thunk both the mother and child would be happy with this scenario.

Fact is, somewhere around 9 in 10 Down's babies are currently aborted, they don't manipulate their chromosomes. However, if that becomes a viable option I would consider that treatment, not building your baby to order.

"Building a baby to order" is BS designed to sell an article. We are nowhere near that knowledge. What we are near is preventing babies born with defects.

"Building a baby to order" is BS designed to sell an article. We are nowhere near that knowledge. What we are near is preventing babies born with defects.

So therefore we shouldn't have concerns. Don't be so naïve, NK.

Ok. :)

Hey, wasn't it in the novel "1984" that old fashioned sexual reproduction was replaced by genetic engineering?
Maybe that was another novel, I don't remember for sure, but if man can do it, you can be sure someone will.

Yes tampering with God's creations I mean both ways, steroids, nose job, picking your own baby's eye and hair color. Whatever, I just don't believe it's moral.

Galveston, I do remember reading a novel when I was younger, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, I believe it was called. The book had people that were genetically engineered and everyone was happy with their social classes, wages, etc.
Kind of the same thing, maybe some day it'll happen! XD

We have been able to make designer babies for some time and the technology is good if you can prevent familial disease and hereditary conditions.
As with any technology there will always be the Frankenstein doctors who abuse it for profit and have no ethical boundaries.
Hitler tried to do the same thing.

Welcome to capitalism.

Father of Capitalism Adam Smith in his 'Theory of the Moral Sentiments' contended that capitalism requires a moral and ethical center if it is to function effectively and to the benefit of all. 'Theory of the Moral Sentiments' explains a moral system that provides a general framework for the economic domain. I do not think his theory of Capitalism cannot be fully understood without reading both 'Theory of the Moral Sentiments' and 'Wealth of Nations'.

I absolutely agree with you tom.

I deliberately left out "unchecked" or "without morality" to see if someone would pounce on that. I'm glad you did.

I sincerely struggle with this issue. This might seen like a big tangent, but the morality issue is at play concerning the markets, what people will pay for...

I've been taking a year long class called "JustFaith" that explores our biblical calling to actively seek justice in the world... especially focusing on the poorest of the poor. The people who have no "bootstrap", who never get the "trickle down"... and its frustrating. Even depressing. Direct, biblical challenges to how I live my life. Not just tithing or charity, but getting up off your arse and doing something.

we don't have free markets. The poorest nations of the world often can just produce a few things... crops and simple goods. Yet the direct and indirect tariffs imposed strangle the poorest countries. We subsidize our crops so much that we sell them at times in the world marketplace cheaper than it is to grow. The average cow in the EU gets almost twice the money value in subsidies as the average subsaharan worker makes. Why in the world sugar is even grown in europe (again, heavy subsidies) is maddening... it is in direct contrast to smiths belief in a system of "natural liberty"... its an artificial propping up of producers that leads to inefficiency and a false reality.

that said, even tho' I'm usually one of the only registered GOP'ers in the room talking about these issues, its not that governments designed around central planning were/are more compassionate and less corupt. Soviet russia or china haven't been the gold standards of moral, just societies.

so... all of this was off topic-ish... but not completely.

I absolutely left out any suggestion of a moral compass when I curtly blamed "capitalism"... and in that light, in the way "capitalism" is often played out today throghout the world and here at home, I think it has some legitimate blame.

Hello:

Let's say that you want a family and you're discussing it with your OBGYN. He tells you that he can flip a genetic switch, and your child won't ever get TB. He can flip another switch and your child will never get cancer.

Do you let him flip those switches?

What if he told you next that he could flip a switch to make your child smarter, or he could make your child more athletic.

Would you let him flip those switches?

If he HAS those switches available, but decides NOT to tell you about them, because he's decided those switches aren't moral, would you be mad at him?

Should he tell you about them, and let YOU decide? Should the government decide?

And, if it IS decided that making a SMART baby is against the law, would you break that law? Do you have an obligation to the government to have stupid children?

excon

Funny how people focus on externals.
Size, height, eye color, hair color, gender, [supposed ] intelligence, athleticism...


How about
- integrity
- kindness
- patience
- work ethic
- sense of humor
- generosity, etc...



Character traits that would really change the world so much more than eye color, disease, or height.












G&P

Funny how people focus on externals.
Size, height, eye color, hair color, gender, [supposed ] intelligence, athleticism.....

How about
- integrity
- kindness
- patience
- work ethic
- sense of humor
- generosity, etc...

character traits that would really change the world so much more than eye color, disease, or height.

Totally agree. These traits are from good parenting, something that has taken a backseat to greed these days.


















NK.

Designer babies? Check your ethics and morals at the door. And for goodness sake don't let God in either.

And yes, 1984 was a very forward looking book by Orwell. Same as Brave New World. Can't we mere humans ever learn to be content with what God gives us? Must we "improve" on the design?

Can't we mere humans ever learn to be content with what God gives us? Must we "improve" on the design?
As I mentioned earlier plastic surgery has been going on for decades. Have you been assaulting that industry for their morals and ethics as well?

As I mentioned earlier plastic surgery has been going on for decades. Have you been assaulting that industry for their morals and ethics as well?

That depends, NK. When it comes to what they did to Michael Jackson for instance, you betcha. How can any doctor with any sense of ethics say yes to one more procedure when it's already gone overboard? On the other hand, plastic surgeons do much more than tummy tucks and face lifts, a plastic surgeon performed emergency carpal tunnel surgery on my wife. They help people in so many ways that go way beyond breast implants so I have no reason to assault the industry for their morals and ethics, only the unethical ones.

Ok, fair enough, let's keep it to elective surgeries. Why aren't people picketing their offices?