Deisgner Babies- your stance

You think people being cleverer is a sick prospect? Unfortunately for you, its only because there are intelligent people around that society progresses. Without people being competitive, especially with regards to intelligence, we'd still be stuck living in caves without any technology. Now most people, I'm sure, would agree that technology is a good thing. Cleverer people advance understanding which makes it easier to improve technology.

yea, why was it moved?!!!

I think it's silly. And that society places too much importance on appearance nowadays. Your turn!

Haha, I thought that "designer babies" meant dressing babies in Burberry or something

Designer Babies: What's the need? We've survived for 60, 000 odd years, why is the importance now on changing the natural course of the world? It seems more and more that we are doing thingfs because we are able to, and not because we feel it's neccessary or indeed important.

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.

Yes there is -
imagine if the child finds out that his/her parents had his genetic makeup tampered with in order to give them a child with the looks they wanted.

1) The child will forever wonder what s/he would have looked like if the parents had not meddled.

2) The child will be extremely hurt in thinking that if s/he had been born as nature intended, the parents would not have loved him/her.

I don't support the idea of designer babies. Of course I can see the arguments of terminal illness etc, but I think its a very slippery slope bordering on sheer preference. A mother whose had three boys and wants a girl for instance I think is ridiculous. I know I'm not a parent and so can't understand, but to me it seems like a selfish scenario of wanting to choose the child you have.

Yes there is -
imagine if the child finds out that his/her parents had his genetic makeup tampered with in order to give them a child with the looks they wanted.

1) The child will forever wonder what s/he would have looked like if the parents had not meddled.

2) The child will be extremely hurt in thinking that if s/he had been born as nature intended, the parents would not have loved him/her.

I wouldn't want to have been genetically modified in the slightest. It would hurt my feelings to know that my parents had to have a "perfect" baby otherwise they wouldn't have been pleased.

Every child needs to know that they are loved for whoever they are and whatever they look like.

Provided its not on the NHS and involves some better more efficient technology that we have now, whats wrong with choosing for the sake of mere preference?

How can you POSSIBLY say that having a low IQ has very little meaning? Dear god...

People always say this, but a fine line between what?

Why would they?

How can you know you would feel this way if you WERE in fact GMd, and even then, how do you know anyone else would agree?

And if a GM baby has a greater chance of that, and success in life?

I don't know about you, but if I found out my parents had paid for me to have ravishingly good looks, an IQ of 160 and a life free of genetic diseases, I don't think I'd be "extremely hurt." More like bloody grateful.

But if you'd rather be a genetically unaltered baby with the face of a monster, the IQ of a McDonalds worker and a good helping of Cystic Fibrosis to boot then that's your prerogative.

No there's progress, and there's forced progress. It will lead to a bigger division in society if we "designed" our child's intelligence, because not everyone would be designed. You see kids with ridiculosly pushy parents, who only care about their child's success rather than their happiness and they're the kind of people who would chose that option if it were available. I'm not saying competitiveness is wrong, of course we need it, but too much can be a bad thing, in my opinion.

as for success in life, well imo the whole point of life is to learn...it is a learning process.
you hardly learn anything if success is just there handed to you on a plate from before you are even born!
where's the sense of achievement? beating the odds? there would be none. the child would know that the only reason he succeeded was because the parents altered his dna. there's no pride in succeeding because of that!

So people who come from different backgrounds have no sense of achievement? If someone was brought up in a family that valued education, they would think that its only because of their situation that they succeeded? You seem to be missing the point anyway. Genetics may play some part in determining intelligence, however genetics is not the full story. People will still have to learn, be motivated to study etc etc. Changing someones genetic structure to make them more amenable to intelligence, doesnt mean they will be intelligent. They still have to put the effort in.

but it's going to be a lot easier for them if they have been programmed with super-intelligence isn't it.
it's also rather insulting. the parents obviously have no faith that the child would have succeeded anyway.
it's not exactly the attitude a parent should have now is it? to have no faith in your child before it is even born!

What if it were possible to design a baby for a specific purpose. If it were theoretically possible to create a child with the intelligence, caring nature, ability and drive to end world hunger for instance, or cure cancer, would that be wrong?

Yes but that's like saying if someone went to private school, had tuition, had parents who helped them studying etc etc it'll be easier for them. Of course it'll be easier. That's the whole point. Parents try to make their children's lives as easy as possible. I doubt there are many people who would try and make their children's lives harder.
Its not saying that parents have no faith in their children. It's about making their life easier. Its snot saying you're a failure so I'll do this. Its saying I care about you and want to make your life easier so I'm doing this. There's a big difference between the two.

i do see where you're coming from, but you're talking about changing the child's genetic makeup here.
it's very extreme and unnecessary.
many people succeeded nowadays and get on well in life without having been genetically altered!