Conceiving and birthing a child is such a beautiful occurrence in the life of a human because it is the product of nature working it's course. Minimal information about the expected child is available before the child's arrival, making the first interactions special and full of surprise. As the child grows, similar moments of surprise and revelation will occur. The child is a result of a combination of genes from the two parents who conceived him/her, and viewing which genes the child inherited is all part of the natural process of evolving as an individual. Recently however, the natural process of growing has seen a new competitor who weighs perfection over anything.
Although perfection is unachievable and the definition of what is 'perfect' varies from person to person, it is safe to say that nearly every human has attempted to reach some level of perfection at some point in their lifetime. Technological advances present in today's society allow for individuals to take this attempt for perfection to a whole new level, making gene manipulation an option when conceiving a child. This new advancement in gene manipulation allows couples to select the gender of their child, as well as many of the physical traits he/she may possess. It is even predicted that personality traits will soon be added to the list for selection in the near future.
Possessing the ability to 'build your own baby' allows humans the opportunity to construct something near their own definition of perfection. However, problems may arise as the child grows and does not fully meet the high expectations that the parents created as they created their 'dream child'. Gene manipulation also takes away from the individual. If everyone is creating their perfect child, it can be assumed that there would be a great increase in the amount of 'good looking', 'physically fit', 'intelligent', and 'athletic' people in the world decreasing the amount of diversity and increasing competition.
Humans come about by a natural process from conceiving, to birthing, to growing. Human reliance on technology in their everyday lives is on the rise in this day and age, however that doesn't mean that technology should affect the genetic structure that shapes who an individual truly is in their everyday surrounding.
You did a great job of not choosing a side but rather showing the differences of good and bad between the two. I am not for "building your own baby" because as you have stated above it will take out the diversity in our society. Who wouldn't want a perfect child? I know I hope for a child who is healthy, beautiful and happy, but I am not for sure that I would want to build my child that way. No matter how my child looks I will love it regardless and know that he/she is a product of a loving marriage. Having cultures in society that are different is what is so great about america, we learn from one another and grow. If we all were the same, chances are we would all dress the same and think very similar. I am not saying looks define who you are as a person, but if we are all similar in looks how will grow from one another? I really think this could be a world changing procedure.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. I have written a paper about this topic in my freshman writing class so I am pretty familiar with it. The whole situation where people only choose "perfect child" as you describe is called "eugenics." My opinion on this topic is/was against the gene manipulation. One of the reasons is, just as you stated, there won't be diversity any more. As an international student, I have experienced various differences between different cultures, and I find it extremely interesting. Therefore I do not want them to be vanished in this world. The other reason will be because it is against natural process; I feel that it is unfair for those who chose not to have gene manipulated. Also, the child might feel very sad and frustrated if they know that they are not "naturally" born.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. you did a great job on being moderate and not being too biased so I'm still unsure on where you take your stand about this issue. But nevertheless, a well-written piece. Next time bring in a bit more statistics and don't forget to place some citations.
ReplyDeleteI also feel the same you do concerning gene manipulation and some of this could even be applied to surrogacy and other type of modern day pregnancy techniques.