[HighandDryinnNy]

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

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

[ChihuahuaMomma]

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?

[speechlesstx]

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.

[jennifer1010]

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

[tomder55]

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.

[NeedKarma]

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

You mean like plastic surgery?

[thoughtiwastheman]

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.

[speechlesstx]

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.

[NeedKarma]

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.

[speechlesstx]

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.

[NeedKarma]

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.

[tomder55]

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

[NeedKarma]

Too late for that!

[speechlesstx]

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.

[NeedKarma]

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.

[speechlesstx]

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.

[NeedKarma]

"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.

[speechlesstx]

"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.

[NeedKarma]

Ok. :)

[galveston]

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.