Deisgner Babies- your stance

For sure designer babies should be allowed if the technology is available. Why anyone would want to change the looks of their baby is rather strange...unless you like being looked at as if you have cheated on your husband?

Why should it be allowed just because we can? I can punch someone in the face - does it make it then right to do it?

Anyway, as for my views - it's a definite NO. For genetic diseases, I'm unsure but I can see why people would do it for those reasons. For any other reasons at all, then no.

Is there really anything ethically wrong about choosing to give birth to a blue eyed baby rather than a brown eyed baby?

The only problem I can currently see with designer babies it the possibility of society becoming divided into two camps: the haves and the have nots. Unless everything's paid for by the state, the situation would look quite bad from the poor's point of view.

Apart from that I see no reason not to start using the technology today. Is there really anything ethically wrong about choosing to give birth to a blue eyed baby rather than a brown eyed baby? As long as people have a diversity of preferences, I don't think humans could end up a monoculture of blue-eyed fair-haired girls (or whatever else).

Its more that it encourages people to superficial and well pathetic. IVF is a nasty process and if you are prepared to go through that for the sake of something like eye or hair colour then you are a very pathetic superficial person.

Its more that it encourages people to superficial and well pathetic. IVF is a nasty process and if you are prepared to go through that for the sake of something like eye or hair colour then you are a very pathetic superficial person.

In reply to XenaGlamRocker, would there be any negative feelings in the child if the parents chose to improve their concentration span? (I agree with you to an extent about eye colour.)

I think it should only be used for nasty diseases and not for stuff like looks or intelligence or sporting ability.

Whyever not? Everyone cares about improving their children's intelligence as it helps them get ahead in life. Hence we have education. Improving genetic structure for intelligence (if it could be done) is just another step in that direction.
To whoever it was that said that the children may be resentful or think they weren't good enough - well we have compulsory education. Does that mean that we might think we weren't good enough in the first place? No, of course not. Parents routinely get tuition for their children. Does that mean they're not good enough? All it means is that parents want their children to have the best opportunities. And i agree with that.

Besides which, increasing the intelligence of the general populace might not be such a bad idea considering all the idiots in society.

The world is competative enough without parents designing their children to be clever. That's a sick prospect.

It's rather interesting that the majority of women contributing to this discussion are against "cosmetic designing" of potential offspring, yet it is women who predominantly have cosmetic surgery to change their own appearance.