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A couple decades ago, the genders of babies were randomized; no one gender was favoured over the other in conception. It is now 2011, and not only can genders be predetermined, but also a wide range of attributes can be fixated, such as adult height, hair and eye colour. Want your future child to have luscious auburn hair and perfect tawny eyes? With the advent of IVF, or in vitro fertilization, parents now have access to the software to play SimBaby.

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IVF is a procedure first introduced in 1978 when Louise Joy Brown was born. In vitro, Latin for “within glass,” means that conception is carried outside of the body. It is as a last-resort for biologically unable couples to achieve pregnancy status. Originally developed for early diagnosis and treatment of otherwise fatal conditions, it is now offered at select hospitals across the country to choose their children’s gender, hair colour, and more recently in Australia, intelligence quotient. At the heart of such a procedure, one begs to ask: is this morally right or not?

At first thought, most people would shake their heads in dismay. But upon further inspection, designer babies aren’t just about the physical self. Many unwanted conditions can be removed with proper use of IVF; just the thought of having a child without serious diseases such as cystic fibrosis or Kleinfelter syndrome lightens parents’ burdens. As well as altering genetic information, it may be possible for IVF to selectively choose characteristics that positively contribute to the baby’s IQ. According to a study done by Oxford University ethicists Andres Sandberg and Nick Bostrom, a 3% increase in average global IQ correlates to a 25% drop in poverty rates, a 25% decline in the number of males in jails, and an 18% decline of welfare dependence. Selective conception may not only benefit the individual, but its efforts may be for the betterment of society.

Success rates of IVF in 2009. Note that success declines greatly with age.

However, there are downsides to IVF as well. The average IVF procedure costs around $12,000 USD, which is a steep amount for many couples. Also, with such complicated procedures there are risks, and with the current advances in IVF, there is roughly only a 46.4% chance that the baby will be born. This relatively low birth rate means that on average, a couple will have to undergo IVF treatment twice for a successful childbirth. The already expensive price continues to skyrocket, leaving a noticeable gap between the rich and the poor. One particular issue that will be challenged will be gender skews. Already, countries like China and India favour males over females, and selective genders will only tip the scales even more. The ability to design humans with favourable superficial features is a great power to hold, but with great power comes great responsibility.

I can see our child hopping from thread to thread to get to school...

The difficulty that humanity meets in the future is allow IVF for an affordable price so there will not be segregation among the rich and the poor. Only then can IVF be truly justified.



Sources:


Bjerklie, David. "Designer Babies." Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
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 "Don't miss your chance to star as Spider-Man or Mary Jane on Broadway."
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     dont-miss-your-chance-to.php>. 

 "In Vitro Fertilization." eMedicine Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
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"In vitro fertilization (IVF)." MedlinePlus. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
     <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007279.htm>.
 
Keim, Brandon. "Designer Babies: A Right to Choose?" Wired Science. N.p., n.d.
     Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/
     designerdebate/>. 

"Now 'designer babies' with high IQ advocated." Emirates 24:7. N.p., n.d. Web.
     14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/
     now-designer-babies-with-high-iq-advocated-2011-02-14-1.355867>. 


Sandberg, Anders. " Journals by Anders Sandberg." Future of Humanity Institute -
     University of Oxford. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
     <http://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/documents/journal_publications/al/
     anders_saunders>. 
 
"Success Rates." Regional Fertility Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
     <http://www.regionalfertilityprogram.ca/success.php>. 



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