Brandon Ki

Science 8E
Mr. Craig Tilly
March 19, 2015
Designer Children: The Technology, its Miracles and its Downsides

Designer children refer to children of whom genetic modifications were performed on in

their embryo or egg/sperm state in order to give them genetic advantages or to cure diseases.
Such children can be chosen to be born with certain advantageous traits, without genetic
disorders, or with custom appearances. The technology is not yet perfected today, but many
scientists believe it will be in the recent future, with significant breakthroughs popping up almost
every week. The designer children technology can create disease-proof, disease-curing, or
superior babies, and is currently an extremely controversial topic, as it could either create a
disease-free, omnipotent humanity or an oppressive dystopia with a rich-poor gap that can
never be attempted to be closed.
Most designer children are created with a method called the Pre-implantation Genetic
Diagnosis method (PGD), in which the best embryo out of many is chosen and then implanted
to be grown into a baby. This process is done using complicated methods: to begin with, the
female parent of the designer child takes fertility drugs that cause her to expel several eggs at
the same time. Then, the eggs are removed from her ovaries to be placed in a test tube. They
are then fertilized by the sperm of the male parent. The fertilized eggs, now embryos, are
allowed to duplicate for a while, and then a single cell is taken from each embryo. The nuclei of
the cells are removed, and then the DNA strands in the nuclei are removed. After that, certain
chemicals called restriction enzymes are applied to the DNA, splitting the strands into double
stranded fragments. The pieces are then put into a particular gel and then applied electricity in a

process called Gel Electrophoresis, in which the shorter strands travel further than the longer
strands. Then, nylon membranes are applied on top of the gel with the DNA, absorbing the
sorted strands from the substance. Next, radioactive DNA probes search for mirror images of
certain genes such as disease genes or desired trait genes in the sorted strands, and then
binds to such genes if they exist. A photographic film records where the probes have bonded to,
and then the records are read to find the embryo with the best traits possible, for example, one
with no diseases. The embryo is then implanted into the uterus of the mother, to be grown into a
baby with only the desired traits. (Bionet) As it can easily be observed, PGD is a sophisticated
process that may prevent genetic diseases and provide advantages to a child without swapping
DNA codes or applying chemicals to the actual embryos.
Removing potential genetic diseases and allowing physical benefits to newborn babies
sounds incredible, but the technology also brings many social implications with it. Designer
babies created with the sole purpose of making superior humans are currently illegal and with
good reason. PGD is a very expensive technology, involving many dedicated doctors, time,
chemicals, and operations. It is without doubt that people in extreme poverty will be unable to
afford to have such a therapy, even if they wanted to. On the other hand, PGD will be an
extremely tempting option for affluent couples expecting babies. If PGD becomes commercially
available, then thousands of such parents will jump at the chance to allow their children physical
advantages and maximum intellectual capacities. If the technology is only used to make
disease-proof children, then it can be life-saving. It may enable the extermination of certain
diseases, such as the common cold or cancer. However, that is so only for the wealthy class:
the poor class will still have to suffer the conditions, and support for the disease in public
hospitals will be removed. Thisalterationmay even cause the separation of hospitals into two
types: one dedicated to curing the rich class and the other the inferior class. Furthermore, one
of the main reasons society is being run as it is now is because utterly incompetent babies with

low intellects and low athletic capabilities can be born in the richest families, while genius babies
or born athletes can be produced in the lowest of slums. Theoretically, low-class families can
jump to high classes every once in a while, and high-class families can fall into low classes
every once in a while. However, if PGD is introduced to the public as a commercially available
product, then rich people will be guaranteed a superior baby, giving the wealthy population a
much higher chance than the poor population to have smart and nimble children. This
advantage will very quickly cause the rich-poor gap to widen rapidly. Lee Silver, a genetic
scientist, predicts that PGD will bring a dystopia in which one group of a population is
genetically and societally superior to the other. He believes this may be so to the extent in which
the wealthy population will only breed with the rich while the poor will only breed with the poor,
creating two entirely different species of humans. (Holt) In this scenario, nobody from the poor
population will be able to jump to the higher class. This change will create an environment in
which the poor people live in endless misery and poverty while the rich people enjoy luxury and
extravagance without having to worry about falling into the lower class. Of course, that is when
PGD is used for creating superior children, but it is also controversial if it is used to create
disease-curing children. Organ donations usually have to be carried out with ultimate caution as
rejection by the host body of the transplanted organ may cause serious issues and death in
many cases. Some diseases are practically incurable as the non-functional organ is not
transplantable unless the donated organ shares certain traits with the host with an minuscule
possibility. PGD is used in these situations. If a child is born with defective organs that are
difficult to find a right donor for, then the parents of the child uses PGD. They create a sibling
who doesnt have the defect yet has the same kind of organ with the child with the disease. This
procedure has

been carried out several times before and has saved lives of people with

otherwise incurable fatal defects. The controversy here is for the sibling that is born with the
purpose of saving a disease-bearing child. The sibling born with PGD is also an equal human

being with thoughts of his/her own, and being born with a particular purpose of organ
transplantation is arguably inhumane. Also, the child does not have a right to vote against
donating ones organ, which is a clear violation of human rights according to activists. (
) There is much controversy about whether saving lives is more important or protecting
rights of children is more important. Although the British Welfare System and the Victorian
Welfare System of Australia have allowed PGD for the intention of saving lives, every other
government currently defines every kind of PGD usage of humans as an illegal practice. PGD is
a dangerous technique that may bring either a disease-free utopia or a two-species dystopia
and has to be debated enough until it is applied to everyday life.
I personally believe PGD should be developed yet very strictly regulated, only allowing
the usage of the technology for disease prevention intentions. If the creation of superior traits,
however tempting they might be, is released to the public, it will cause countless problems. If
PGD is an affordable technology, then it will allow for the evolution of humanity as a whole,
granting the dream of self-led evolution. Humans will become much more superior, immune to
diseases, and will quickly solve global problems. However, PGD is not such an easy technology
to use, and if it is sold then most likely it will target only the wealthy class. The advancement of
the superior class will cause the separation of the human species into one superior species and
one inferior species. That will then cause a complete destruction of society, and create a
dystopia in which the lower class can never even attempt to rise. I am pretty sure everyone
going to Chadwick International will easily afford such technology and will be part of the superior
class, but for the people on the bottom, PGD will become a complete nightmare. PGD, when
used wisely under strict surveillance by governmental laws, can be used to cure and prevent
life-destroying diseases. People that are condemned to death by incurable genetic diseases can
be cured with the help of siblings born with PGD. A couple that have specific genetic diseases
that ruin their lives can choose to have a healthy child that will not suffer from the same

condition. PGD is truly a marvelous technology, yet is dangerous at the same time, and thus
should only be allowed under certain situations, under strict regulations.
PGD is an exciting technology that will allow the advance of the human species. It is
carried out through very complicated procedures, involving the creation of multiple eggs, the
fertilization of the eggs, the screening of the embryos, and the implantation of the chosen one.
PGD can be a miracle to people suffering from genetic diseases they can be cured by the
technology, or create a child that will not suffer the same fate. On the other hand, the therapy
can cause a total social breakdown, splitting the human species into two and guaranteeing a
miserable life to people that cannot afford the technology. PGD, like most revolutionary
technological breakthroughs, can be used to make human life easier and better, or to destroy
everything humans have built. It is up to humans themselves to choose to either resist the
temptation to become superior and advance towards a better world or choose to brutally crush
each other and create a chaos in which everyone tries to step on each others heads.

Citations

"3D Animation of How IVF Works." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeigYib39Rs>.
Bonsor, Kevin, and Julia Layton. "How Designer Children Work." HowStuffWorks.
HowStuffWorks.com. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/
designer-children.htm>.
Holt, Sarah, and Lee Silver. "18 Ways to Make a Baby." NOVA Online. PBS, 19 Oct. 2001. Web.
15 Mar. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/baby/>.
"IVF and PGD save Long Island Girl's Life." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk1PbR0GzYQ>.
McGee, Glenn. "Primer on Ethics and Human Cloning." Actionbioscience. American Institute of
Biological Sciences, 1 Feb. 2001. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <http://www.actionbioscience.org/
biotechnology/mcgee.html>.
"What Is a Designer Baby?" What Is a Designer Baby? 1 Jan. 2002. Web. 14 Mar. 2015. <http://
www.bionetonline.org/English/Content/db_cont1.htm>.