The concept of designer babies may be new to you, but it has become quite popular in recent years. The concept shows how technology and science have managed to make the impossible possible. There was a time when the idea of designer babies was nothing but science fiction. Things have changed today and it is possible to create a baby using biotechnology.

It uses the same technology as utilized in genetic engineering and modification. The process allows you to make changes to certain attributes in intelligence, appearance, personality, gender, and disease. It actually helps you create a perfect specimen. There are many questions associated with the process and many people want to know about designer babies’ pros and cons. Let's find out more about the issue.

List of Pros of Designer Babies

Certainly, there are several positive things associated with the concept of designer babies. The idea is to use genetic engineering on unborn babies to make positive changes. Here are a few reasons why the genetic engineering of babies seems to be a good idea.
1

It Can Increase Life Expectancy

Genetic engineering may help increase your baby's life expectancy by up to 30 years. This helps because you can use technology to discard any defective genes your unborn baby may have. This ensures that your baby stays healthy after birth. By using the genetic modification technique, it is possible to lower the risk of genetic disorders in your baby. This can especially help prevent common genetic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy, and Huntington's disease.

2

It Lowers Risk of Inherited Disease

You can also make use of genetic modification to reduce your baby's chance of having inherited diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, anemia, and more. By reducing the risk of these problems, it is possible to increase the survival rate of babies.

3

It Helps Medical Professionals in the Field

By letting professionals utilize genetic modification technique on your baby, you give them a chance to learn more and develop a better understanding of how everything works. There will be a team of genealogists and biologists working together to make genetic alteration, and they will develop a better understanding of everything associated with the field of genetics.

4

It Helps Improve Your Baby's Personality

When comparing designer babies’ pros and cons, many people opt for this technique because they know this will affect their baby's personality in a positive way. By creating a positive impact on your baby's intelligence, health, and personality, it is possible to help your baby have a positive take on different parts of life.

5

It Puts You in Charge of Things

It means that you will decide what aspects of your baby's life you want to change. You will be working with a team of professionals and will always have the authority to set all the limits.

People who are in favor of genetic modification of babies argue that parents are already engineering their children in many different ways, including religion, education, prenatal supplements, and morals. They can also use genetic engineering to treat disorders, including mitochondrial disorders and even give their child certain genes that they do not carry.

List of Cons of Designer Babies

There are many positives associated with the idea of genetic engineering of babies, but there are some cons as well. Here are some reasons why some people are not in favor of designer babies.
1

It Has Moral Implications

During the procedure, certain embryonic cells are selected, which means that the ones not selected will have to be discarded. Many people take it as abortion. In certain cases, designer babies are created only to obtain stem cells, after which they are aborted or given up for adoption. These cases raise moral and ethical concerns, which is the reason why some people believe that the idea of designer babies should not be entertained.

2

It Violates Basic Rights

Just consider the basic rights of a baby when talking about designer babies’ pros and cons. Some opponents are of the view that even when you use genetic modification for a good cause, it still means that the baby has no say about how his cells or body should be altered. This can be considered a violation of basic rights. Moreover, in many cases, only blood cells or other cells are used from designer babies, which may make them go through painful invasive treatment. This is not right ethically and morally.

3

It Is Still Not Completely Safe

There are many cases where designer babies have been created successfully, but the technique is still not perfect. There is always a risk of something going wrong, as the technology is still in its experimental stages. It is quite difficult to tell if genetic changes have been made and they have affected the baby's gene pool. Any mistakes here would cause problems in the future.

4

It Creates Societal Divide

Opponents are of the view that if designer babies become prevalent, they will eventually create societal division. The problem will no longer be about being white or black, but it will be able designer and non-designer baby. Those who have successfully been engineered may feel that they are better as compared to those who are normal.

5

What's more, if the genetic modification of babies becomes common, there will be cases where parents would purposely seek out a blue-eyed, blonde haired baby just for appearance concerns. Moreover, babies who have been genetically modified may not have genetic diversity, which in turn can lead to many other defects and problems. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to designer babies’ pros and cons and then decide if you really want to use technology in your case.

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