Designer Babies #smh

Advanced reproductive technologies have enabled doctors and parents to screen embryos for genetic disorders and select healthy embryos, the process known as Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. PGD also involves In-Vitro Fertilization, IVF; fertilization of an egg outside the human body. PGD is when a practitioner removes one or two cells from an embryo and test them for specific disorders/characteristics before the embryo transfer takes place.

Process of Genetic Screening^

There’s a fear that in the future we may be able to use genetic technologies to modify embryos and choose desired characteristics for babies such as blue eyes over brown. The term to describe this fear is “designer babies”.

Things are getting out of hand with human research into genetic processes. It’s like humankind will never be satisfied with what they have and will always want more. Their ambitious aims towards researching science and genetic process can be very beneficial for the future, but is it really ethical for doctors and parents to create designer babies? With enhanced physical ability and appearance tailored to fit parents desires, doctors and parents are practically playing the role of God in this situation. They are perfecting a child and modifying it to satisfy their wants.

If accepted, think about how society may suffer from genetic engineering. Being a designer baby could develop into a huge trend. If everybody were to give into the hype and edit the characteristics of their children to perfection it will soon become the norm of society. This is only gonna result in an increase of unreasonable fear or hatred towards foreigners or anyone who strike a different appearance. The people with genetic defects will be excluded from society and be frowned upon. Kids coming from rich families will receive this genetic enhancement, having a huge advantage over the other, "normal" children.

Parents deciding on the characteristics of their child^

Eugenics could be the ending result of 'designer babies'. Eugenics could be defined as the study or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population via. selective breeding. By such, means discouraging reproduction by persons who carry genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable, undesirable traits. The advent of designer babies will drastically effect biodiversity. The question is brought up, which skin colour and physical features should be chosen? Traits of the child are completely dependent on the parents; this eliminates any say that child has over his or her life. Parents who are passionate about sports would have the athletic ability engineered into the child, although the child may not want the same. Designer babies would reduce the child’s freedom to choose.

In terms of biodiversity, we can never predict the arrival of a new virus or disease. In designer babies, the mutation may cause the out break of a new virus or disease because of their artificial design. If one designer baby becomes ill, chances are the other will suffer as well.

Genetic engineering should not be tampered with. It’s complex and any mistake made can alter the lives of many. I feel like nobody should even attempt to play the role of God, we should let nature’s course take place and just let things be. Designer babies aren’t ethical, wouldn’t be beneficial for society, biodiversity and for the children themselves. Just like how some things are better left unsaid, let nature take its course, leave genetic engineering for the sperm head.

References:

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/glossary_p.html

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/273415-overview

http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm

http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2001/09/designer_babies.html

http://www.advancedfertility.com/ivfprocedures.htm

Images used:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1047145003009_2003/03/12/genetics2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/11/1047144972401.html&usg=__IeGujtkxP6qYjKDhBBzAeLdIXto=&h=320&w=370&sz=14&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=CemVdLNeGb83fM:&tbnh=163&tbnw=189&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddesigner%2Bbabies%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D609%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C314&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=732&vpy=83&dur=2003&hovh=209&hovw=241&tx=182&ty=110&ei=dqTRTMGBEoHvcK-j8OUL&oei=2KDRTKavD4m-sAPmn-SWCw&esq=9&page=1&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&biw=1280&bih=609

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhSBqf3VQiUt8zvnzrHjtK_V3q5qim2QIb7Yh2srdk9pLh5oA&t=1&usg=__JyCcutwjQduBMaXI-bqRD_TaSUA=

Comments:

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Preserve the Rainforest

Rain forests only take up 6% of the world's surface, yet they contain more than half of the world's plant and animal species. A rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle. the word "rain" came from the high amounts of rainfall received each year.

The rainforest has taken several million years to grow into the amazingly complex system it is today. Everything in the rainforest has become so dependant on each other, survival has become so close knit, if even the slightest change is made to the rainforest many could suffer.

Forests are the largest storehouse of carbon, after coal and oil, just some of the many things that fuel our economy, literally. All the world's rain forests are disappearing at a rate of 6000 acres every hour, 50 million acres a year. As a result, the plants and animals living in the forests are destroyed, some species are at risk of becoming extinct. In addition, the large scale harvesting of lumber, clear cutting, from the rain forests continue to disrupt the balance of the earth's ecosystem.

When forests are destroyed by activities such as logging and land conservation for agriculture, they release large quantities of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Video on deforestation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzK2XITThZM

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation must be part of the solution to the global climate change problem.

There are organizations where human intervention is being used positively to affect the rain forests.

To protect the Amazon, WWF is:

• Developing national programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation
• Promoting the responsible use of natural resources
• Ensuring environmental and social standards for infrastructure development
• Consolidating and expanding protected areas

The mission of the Rainforest Foundation is to support indigenous and traditional people of the world's rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights by assisting them in:

• Securing and controlling the natural resources necessary for their long term well being and managing these resources in ways which do not harm their environment, violate their culture or compromise their future; and
• Developing the means to protect their individual and collective rights and to obtain, shape and control basic services from the state.

The Rainforest Foundation has engaged in a project to train the Yanomami (natives) leaders of brazil, the critical skills needed to protect their lands and rights in the future.

The rain forest conservation's main goals are to protect some areas completely (and effectively), increase the size of protected forest areas, protect forest edges against damage, restoration of damaged and disturbed habitats.

These organizations are taking small steps to preserve the rain forests. It will be those little step by step actions that will make a big difference in saving the rain forests.

http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/preserve.html

http://www.rainforestfoundation.org/

http://www.rainforestconservation.org/rainforest-primer/6-conservation-of-tropical-rainforests/a-means-of-conserving-tropical-rainforests/5-protection-of-forest-land

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/climate_carbon_energy/forest_climate/

http://scienceray.com/biology/ecology/preserving-our-rainforest/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzK2XITThZM

-via marcGonzales-

Blogs commented on:

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