We are getting close to the point where the technology will enable parents to customize the features of their child. Can you imagine a future where having a child would be no more different than ordering a sandwich?

While genetic engineering can have benefits such as disease prevention. Do you think we should be allowed to genetically engineer BABIES?

Let's think about it...

If human engineering is allowed, then pretty soon the world will have 2 races: the genetically programmed ones, and the "normal" ones.

What would this mean to us? Will the "superior race" destroy us or discriminate against us?

What if everyone had an IQ of 200, everyone is attractive, everyone is an athelete... will the meaning of life get lost?

Is genetic engineering "unfair" to those of us who are "naturally blessed"?

Will it cause a genetic "inflation"? All the good traits get taken for granted. This would mean hell to us "normal people", for we will probably be looked down upon. No jobs for us. No spouses for us. We might be treated in a way that humans treat animals now.

You might be asking, "why does it matter to us "normal people" since we won't live long enough to see that happen".

Don't be so sure. Pretty soon there will be the technology that will enable us to live a VERY long time or indefinately.

But I'm not sure I want to live in a world where everything is fake and genetic engineering is a new "arms race".

 

Genetic engineering is wrong, not going into my reasoning, may kill the thread.

 

Customizing is wrong in my opinion, but being able to reduce the chance of a child being born with medical problems or defects that would affect his/her ability to live a 'normal' life, I would approve.

 

I am a religious person but I will keep religion out of my reply.

My scientific view is that diseases, cancer and all the other unpleasantness that we and all other living things have to deal with are actually helping us evolve to help our species contunine to thrive and adapt to our environment.

If we were to begin genetically engineering we would be cloning/developing traits that WE "think" is what is best but in fact we would be stepping our evolution backwards or holing it at a certain point while our environment it self and all the other living thing around us will be changeing and evolving.

Eventially, Maybe in 25 year, maybe 100, maby 100,000 we would basically be "old technology" and would not be able to handle changes to the point where we would become extinct.

Different "non-perfect" people may in fact be a very important part of our species' eveloution and should not be considered undesirable even if our shallow society deems them so.

This view also applies to abortion, why kill our offspring when they contain the genetic makup to continue life and evolution? In fact the child is MORE important to mankind than the parents so why kill the child cause he/she is an cultural inconvinience to the parent.

 

genetic engineering is wrong i to dont want to get into the reasoning cuz it will kill the thread

 

Within reason yes I would support it. Who sets what those parameters are is the debate.

For that last 43 years I have watched my sister. She is mentally handicaped and can not function on her own. Her mental capacity is no better than a 3 year olds. If there was a way this could of been prevented I would be all for it.

But I would not support any type of program that would create super babies, be it for intelligence, looks, whatever.

 

Already doing it in India & China. They have ultrasound clinics in front, and abortion clinics in back. They are skewing their population so far to the male side that their next generation will have 121 boys for every 100 girls. Natural ratio is 105 girls to 100 boys. There is going to be some serious culture change when they come of age.

 

could really care less.

most people turn this into a religon vs. science debate, and I definately fall on the side of science. I think it's cool to see what we can come up with, is it good or bad, who knows, but it's fun to think of the possibilities.

 

the human race has already stopped evolving. our ability to treat so many things and compassion to support many genetic abnormalities ensures these traits will continue to be passed on.

 

As the father of an Autistic child, I'd have to agree.

 

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by tmyers
Within reason yes I would support it. Who sets what those parameters are is the debate.

For that last 43 years I have watched my sister. She is mentally handicaped and can not function on her own. Her mental capacity is no better than a 3 year olds. If there was a way this could of been prevented I would be all for it.

But I would not support any type of program that would create super babies, be it for intelligence, looks, whatever.
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I would agree with both of you my concern is man not stoping there

 

We share those concerns.

 

It'd MORALLY wrong. In extreme cases I could see it being beneficial. Here is my beed with it.. We will have the millitary "engineering" "super humans" to fight wars. While this is not a bad idea, it's still not right. A child is a blessing whether it's deformed, or not. The way the child develops is up to God/nature (depending on what you believe.) not us.

 

We have enough trouble getting along with each other now based on color, creed or co-habitation. With people altering their physical makeup by changing gender, branding, multi peircings, tattoos and surgically altering themselves to resemble animals. Can you imagine the legal and public brawls that would happen if we have bio engineered humans(?). Yes it would be good to bioeng. out near sightness, diabetes, heart desease and so on. But once we start down that slope there is no stopping it.
Bottom line it is here and it has started and will not stop.

 

It'd MORALLY wrong. In extreme cases I could see it being beneficial. Here is my beed with it.. We will have the millitary "engineering" "super humans" to fight wars. While this is not a bad idea, it's still not right. A child is a blessing whether it's deformed, or not. The way the child develops is up to God/nature (depending on what you believe.) not us.

Of course every child is a blessing, but if genetic (or other medical) research unlocks a cure for MS, or autism, or a myriad of other medical issues- I'm all for it. I'd heartily disagree with the comments on a childs development. Without intensive intervention, on many different levels, I'd doubt our child would be able to attend a mainstream school. As it is, she's consistently an honor roll student, active in FFA, and leads a deceptively normal life otherwise.