The Benefits and Hazards of Genetically Modified Children

Before dwelling on this topic let us understand what is genetically modified children. Although the term is quite self-explanatory, genetically modified children are also known as Designer babies, which are those whose genetic makeup has been selected or altered, often to include a particular gene or to remove genes associated with a health condition. This process usually involves analyzing a wide range of human embryos to identify genes associated with particular diseases and characteristics, and selecting embryos that have the desired genetic makeup. And although you might be introduced to this topic as you are reading this blog, the first designer baby was born to the Nash family from Denver, Colorado, 20 years ago. but the news is still a miracle to many. Adam Nash was conceived for his stem cells from the umbilical cord, which was later used for the life-saving treatment for his sister suffering from Fanconi's Anaemia.

 

Now that we know what genetically modified babies or designer babies are while writing this article we were put in a conundrum of whether to explain this topic keeping the benefits side heavy or the hazards of the technology in mind.

Even though there are significant ethical and moral concerns regarding genetically modifying babies, there are numerous benefits to this form of treatment like:-

 

1.     It will contribute to an increase in life expectancy -The infant will grow up healthier if the defective genes in an unborn baby are edited out and only the healthy genes are kept. As a result, you may be able to extend their lifespan by up to 30 years.

 

2.     Making a lifestyle change earlier - By introducing diverse factors to the child's thinking and life, you may be able to impact it. Rather than influencing a child later in life, creating a baby may enable you to produce comparable types of influences even before the infant is born. You can, for example, increase your baby's mental capacities before he or she is born, rather than pressuring him or her to study hard and do well in school.

 

 

3. It lowers the risk of genetic abnormalities - When you employ genetic modification technology to create a designer baby, you can help to lessen the risk of your child developing numerous genetic illnesses. In many cases, these are not just a strategy to lower your baby's risk of developing certain health problems, but they are also a way to improve your baby's odds of surviving

4. Parents have the last say - As a parent, you have the power to decide what aspects of your child's life you wish to improve. You will be able to set all the boundaries and keep track of all of the alterations your baby will through, as well as how much of the same you want to be done.

 

But we also found three major issues with Designer babies which were very alarming as they had to do with deciding the course of a life that hasn’t been born yet and could not be taken lightly which were:-

 

1. Not without flaws

The technique of genetic alteration to generate designer babies is still in its early stages of development, and it will take time and research to advance. Because genetics isn't always 100 per cent accurate, it's extremely conceivable that in the case of designer babies, an error will arise at some point in the future. Researchers are concerned that while they will do everything possible to eliminate any illness in the infant while editing the genes, an unintentional error could result in the emergence of a new type of ailment that they will not be able to treat Depending on their motives for having the kid in the first place, the parents have even gone ahead and terminated the baby in some situations.

2. Infringement on Your Baby's Rights

When you start the process of making a designer baby, you are effectively changing the life and mentality of a living human being without their permission or consent. In this situation, you will permanently alter your baby's mental, emotional, and physical makeup, without giving your newborn a choice in whether or not this is something he or she wants. It is a procedure in which your baby will be treated as a scientific experiment rather than as a human being.

3. Has the potential to create a significant societal divide.

If more parents opt for designer babies, the world will soon be separated into two categories of babies: designer babies and non-designer babies. As a result, newborns born as part of the designer baby series will feel superior to those born naturally without any genetic alteration. Those who adhere to societal norms fear that it will eventually lead to a hostile atmosphere.