Designer shoes, purses....babies????

As the years progress, technology becomes more and more advanced and now scientists are on the brink of some very controversial discoveries and advancements. Genetic engineering has become a very real possibility as scientists state that embryos will not simply be examined for disorders and illness, but soon they will also be able to alter the physical appearance and even the abilities of the individual. If society allows this technology, people will not simply be having children, but designing them by selecting preferable features as if they were purchasing a car. Although the elimination of disease and the creation of the ideal person seem flawless in theory, the consequences will over power the short-term logic and will lead the world to an unnatural fate. Many issues arise from the proposal of such technology, not only morally but also logically when considering how this severe change would impact the world, not simply for a day or even a year, but for the entire existence of humanity.

The idea of preventing serious diseases from ever existing sounds very impressive and beneficial in today's society. However, what's convenient for today can upset the balance of the world years later. If technology creates a world where illness is wiped out, then people will live longer. This sounds wonderful, but along with this longevity comes the idea that it will completely throw off the population. The world would become overcrowded and jobs would be difficult to find with an overflow of people who are all equally qualified because of their "design" and the way they were engineered. If scientists become capable of going beyond just curing disease, then they will proceed to create the ultimate human. Parent's will start by desiring a healthy baby, but soon they will want a baby with blue eyes, with athletic ability, and a high IQ. Is this what we truly want, deciding an individual's fate? Free will is one of the greatest gifts and individual can possess. It is truly a beautiful idea that a person can come from any background and with effort and a strive for success they can overcome their obstacles and achieve anything in life because there is no fate, only a winding path that the individual chooses for themselves. If everyone's perfect and the same and their future is decided for them, it eliminates competition and ultimately it will destroy progress as we know it. Without progress there is no drive to accomplish a goal or do the impossible. Ignorance becomes bliss because no one is aware of what they are missing, they only live and act as they were designed to act and ultimately destroy both the family identity and the personal identity.

Morally, one must consider the question of, how can we give another human being the power to change the genetic make up of an embryo to produce a race of "perfect' individuals? Just because we may have the technology to alter life as we know it, doesn't mean it is automatically the best solution. As Nancy Gibbs stated in Time magazine "Science has given us childbirth miracles. Now we need laws to create some boundaries." Who gives a scientist the right to play God, whether one is religious or not there is a certain level of natural balance in the world that would be upset significantly by this uncommon grant of power. On top of the morality of the situation, financially the whole execution of designing a baby could divide the classes even further. The cost of such technology cannot be cheap, if only the wealthy can afford to design the perfect child, then it creates an even more difficult environment for the poor to struggle to survive in. Any naturally created person would not be able to succeed in life when others around them have not only the money, but the design for success because the possibility for failure was eliminated from their genetics at birth. On the other hand, if the government stepped in to provide funding so that everyone could create the ideal baby, well, isn't it obvious. That possibility is no better than the division of classes because it will lead to a Brave New World where an individual's whole life is regulated and personal freedom is non-existent because they are conditioned and designed for only one purpose that they do not question.

Any individual who is unsure of the weight between the benefits and the consequences of genetic engineering need only to skim Brave New World to get a glimpse of what they can look forward to if the decide they want their baby to be modeled in perfection. A fiction novel, yes, but we live in a world that all ready heavily depends on image and success that this future does not seem too outrageous if parents are willing to remove the individual personality of their baby so that they will be more satisfied with their child's undecided future. It doesn't matter if a they baby is created by the government as in the novel or if the parents choose the baby's fate, it still has the same conclusion, a frightening world that never progresses, it only works to exist and stay they consistent. However, the most frightening part of all is that the individuals think they are happy becuase they did not do this to themselves, they no nothing else and think this horribly pointless cycles of existence is bliss.

Most everyone has experienced the pain and suffering that come from disease, to see a loved one stricken ill and helpless and one can't help but impulsively support the idea to eliminate such pain for future generations. However, we must take a step back from the emotional attachment and think of the chain reaction this will lead to which is ultimately the destruction of free will. Humankind cannot be trusted with this kind of power, no human has the right to play God. It is far too dangerous for science to interfere with the balance of nature as there are too many long term risks that negate the few immediate benefits that could come from genetic engineering.

Works Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.

Gibbs, Nancy. "Wanted: Someone to Play God." TIME 3 Mar. 2008: 68.

The "perfect" person, oh what a world!