SAMIYA FATIMA Feature

took this technology a step ahead and made it a cosmetic technology. He claims that the LA fertility clinic that he owns can Short Short give its customers/parents what they want Designer in their babies, be it sex or eye colour or hair colour or height or intelligence or athletic ability. Dr. Steinberg is expecting to see a trait selected baby to be born Babies quiet soon. Critics, however, are not sure about Do We Need Them? the safety of this cosmetic technology. Their major concern is the waste of ; if KY is the limit they say. Well, we have performances. All this is going to be reality the developed is not as desired, reached much beyond it. The fruits of soon. will it be discarded? How many embryos Sa technology developed sometime The word designer baby has been will be killed till parents get their desired back, have just arrived in the market. A defined in Oxford dictionary as a baby trait? Potential human beings will be killed fertility clinic in Los Angeles, USA claims that whose genetic makeup has been for obscure matters like having straight hair it can help produce the kind of baby you artificially selected by instead of curly; this will be as cruel as want. If you always wanted a blue-eyed combined with to ensure murdering babies or abortions, which is girl, you no longer have to hunt for a partner the presence or absence of particular considered illegal in some countries. Dr. with that feature and wait until nature does or characteristics. The technology Steinberg admits that it is not a dangerous its trick. Instead you just go to the clinic, behind designer babies is based on Pre- but uncharted road. pay them a huge fee, give them the details implantation (PGD). The Ethicists are also afraid that the of how you want the baby to be, and you embryo is created through In Vitro supporters of designer babies and doctors will get it. Producing designer babies just Fertilisation (IVF). A single cell is removed like Dr. Steinberg are trying to play extra got simpler! from the embryo within five days, and it is smart and outdo nature. They argue that A room filled with blonde, fair skinned, then genetically tested. The parents then the whole science involved in embryo blue eyed babies with IQs of 140 is not decide whether to discard the embryo or development and human body have not what you will only see in a sci-fi movie any implant it. been completely understood. Doctors and longer. Imagine a school with students The pioneer of IVF is Dr. Jeff Steinberg, researchers are not sure about many traits having the same IQ level…competition who came up with the science behind IVF like intelligence or height or athletic ability and ranking will be a thing of past as all of in the 1970s. He was a part of the team which the LA fertility clinic claims it can them will excel in their academic that created test tube babies. He assure parents get what they want

Embryo Embroyes identified with markers

A woman’s eggs are A single cell is removed from each Only embryos with the The procedure virtually guarantees that fertilized with in embryo, and then tested for biomarkers for the the child will be female and increases a lab, creating several biomarkers associated with the female required traits are placed the probability it will have green eyes embryos. gender, green eyes and blond hair. in the woman’s womb. and blond hair.

SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2011 32 Short Feature including those traits. Researchers argue that such traits have not been fully understood and are not solely governed by genes. Eye colour or hair colour trait, however, can be pre-implanted as the genes involved for those have been identified. Man is trying Designer babies come with a positive to select what side too. Since the embryo is screened at is best suitable a very early stage, any dreadful genetic in this world. disorder such as Down’s syndrome, Cystic There will be Fibrosis, or Huntington can be detected no natural at the right time and treated properly, selection or thereby giving the child a healthy life survival of the “It was a matter of vital strategic importance for the company! We ahead. This is like a boon for individuals fittest. had to develop our own MBA graduates breeding in-house.” with such genetic disorders wanting to have their own children; they no longer The other and rather discriminative to take some drastic steps to have to feel guilty about their defective benefit of this technology is sex selection. achieve it. If shelling out some

genes being transferred to their offspring. Parents can decide whether they want a money guarantees the best future Infants who have already chosen their profession This technology can also be used to create boy or a girl before the embryo is fully for the child, the rich would an identical healthy baby to treat an older developed. This is a blessing for families definitely fall for it. This might bring sibling. who have been longing for a particular out more discrimination as children In fact, there have been such cases gender baby and have been let down by of the poor might not get that where desperate parents had children to nature. This however would encourage advantage. treat their older kid. Adam Nash was the gender discrimination. At the end, it will Here’s what a journalist had world’s first known designer baby born by be a battle for the fairer sex. to say: “Imagine ordering a baby the revolutionary pre-implantation This technology was primarily like dinner, ‘we’ll take the boy in process in the year 2000. Scientists developed to find out and possibly cure Greek god model, but can you genetically selected his embryo so that genetic disorders in babies before it’s too make him 6"4’ instead of 6 feet? he would possess the right cells to save late and give the parents and the child a And gimme green eyes instead of his dying sister’s life. His sister suffered from happy and healthy life. This is a very noble blue, ash-blond hair…a little curly, Fanconi’s anaemia (blood disorder)—the use of science, whose main motto should but not too much, olive chances of Adam getting the disorder be enhancing life by treating or curing complexion, 140 IQ, heavy on was also very high. An embryo was dangerous rather than using all fast-twitch muscle.’ The world will chosen, which did not have Fanconi’s the resources for unnecessary cosmetic be filled with the most handsome anaemia. Adam became a donor to his science. and beautiful looking boys and sister, which doubled her chances of However, there is a general fear that girls. Every individual will be near survival. children would be considered as perfect, identical looking and In 2002, a British couple, Mr. and Mrs. commodities. If a couple wants an athlete, having similar abilities. Adolf Hitler Whitaker, genetically selected an embryo they will insert the necessary trait in the was on a quest to create a race that would be a near perfect match to embryo and eventually leave no room for of Aryan blond, blue eyed and tall their four-year-old son Charlie who had a choice making the child an athlete. What people. Creating designer babies life threatening blood disorder, Diamond if he/she does not want to be one? is believed to be on the same Blackfan Anemia. This was done after Freedom to live will be more or less lines. A world filled with zombies taking permission from the Human snatched away. would be better! It’s the flaws and Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Supporters of this technology argue faults which make this life (HFEA), UK. that if one has the right of choosing the beautiful.” partners with whom they want to have a Humans are trying to play god child, they should also have the liberty of and making every imaginable thing choosing the best embryo and genes to artificially. Artificial sweeteners, produce the future generation. transgenic plants, cloned animals, Designer babies are like artificial artificial rain, artificial blood, and selection. Man is trying to select what is artificial organs, are we ready to best suitable in this world. There will be no see an artificial baby? It’s time to natural selection or survival of the fittest; as take a stand and decide how far is everyone coming out will be fit (at least too far. according to human understanding). Since parents want to give the best to their Ms Samiya Fatima, c/o Badruddin Khan, children, they would want to give them H.No-16-2-55, Akbar Bagh, Hyderabad- the best start in this world even if they have 500036 33 SCIENCE REPORTER, OCTOBER 2011