If you had the money would you design your child?

Question

You could choose its intelligence, gender, what it looks like, Screen for any imperfections (health wise), make them stronger and faster then normal, you get the idea.

Of course you could add a bit of yourself to the mix as well so you can claim this as your own.

Why is that a sad question it should be realistic question in the next 30 years or so.

I do not have kids so this question is not personal.

Answer 1

I have no doubt that I would alter my child's DNA if given the chance to do so safely. I'll do you one better: I would alter MY OWN DNA if given the chance to do so safely. Both may easily be a possibility in the not-too-distant future.

Nor do I think I will even vaguely be in the minority. Consider all the grossly unnatural things we ALREADY do to ourselves and our children! How many parents don't get their children vaccinated because "polio is natural"? Someone who did that today might be accused of child abuse! How many parents refuse to allow their children vitamins or make use of dietary guidelines produced by scientists? How many don't buy them shoes or clothes because "God didn't create clothes in the Garden of Eden"?

The simple fact of the matter is that we adjust to new circumstances as they arise. If there are ways to produce smarter, stronger, faster, healthier, and longer-lived children, parents WILL use them! What is the alterative? Doom your child to live in a society where all the other people are superior to them in almost every way?

There are people who do this now. They are not generally respected for it. Soon they will be gone altogether or found only in the narrow, isolated communities where they can fit in with their inferior peers.

So it goes.

Answer 2

I have children already. Had I the option though I would be very interested in being able to ensure that my child would not have health problems I also think I would like to make sure that my child was a pretty or handsome child since studies indicate that a persons looks are never really ignored in certian things. I would absolutely do anything I could to make sure my child was as intelligent as he/she could be. Not that Im interested in having some sort of artifical kid or anything but I think that if it was possible prior to the childs birth to influence those things I would be more than happy to do so. After all while pregnant I did eat the right foods to help my babies development and took vitamins so that they and I would be healthy. I sought out the advice of an OB. I dont really feel that there is a difference between what the question asks and what we do already. Its only that we dont quite yet have that much of an active role. On the whole if I could tweak the child and still be able to enjoy the being pregnant I most certianly would. It doesnt seem so far fetched or sad to me at all. I truely feel that if anyone who states they would not take advantage of any of the technology present to ensure thier child had the brightest possible future must be lieing unless of course they dont use a doctor they only eat foods they grow out of thier gardens and they rely solely on medical advice passed down from older women.

Answer 3

If I had the money, would I have a child genetically altered? No. Since I am an imperfect creature, how will I know what is best in making another creature? Did you know that this has already been done? Nazi scientists tried doing this by creating the 'perfect race'. This was the origin of the test tube baby. Did you know that the Nazi's got this idea from the philosopher Fredrich Neitzsche's 'Superman'? Did you know that Neitzche got this idea from the theory of evolution? Do you know that this theory states that everything happened by mere chance? Do you know that this theory has been the core defense of racism for centuries? Do you know that this 'theory' is taught as a fact in most schools? Do you know the history of the Coppernican theory? This theory states that the earth and the planets revolve around the sun; it was proved through the significant work of Galileo Galilee. Before this 'theory' was proved as a fact, the main teaching was that the sun and the other planets revolved around the earth. Since I am an imperfect creature, I must make imperfect things. Since I make imperfect things, how can I make a perfect child? If evoulution is not true, then I must have come from somewhere else. Where did I come from?

Answer 4

Design? No. Alter? Probably.

Let me answer this question with an open mind but in a long sentence. Assuming the technology supports it, after the egg is fertilized with my sperm and now the first cell is totally formed, I would leave the personality intact but alter the genes for medical reasons (disease resistence and stuff) to come up with a healthier version. Might get a little bit tempted to increase IQ and mental stability - may be. But the health part, sure.

Answer 5

I had a similar question like this in my Personality Theory class. Many people said no, but if you had the chance to make sure that your child would be intelligent, and healthy, I don't see why anyone if they were able to would not take the opportunity. You would only be doing it for their own good.

Answer 6

.It would be tempting but I wouldn't because it's changing the balance of life and it's almost just like having a robot.
You have to adapt your child to things like manners, what's right and wrong. If you can't do that then it's bad parenting. If you were to design your own child you're taking a lot of the parenting part away from it, which doesn't show responsibility.

Ohh by the way, sorry if you took that in a personal way, it was meant to just be general.

Answer 7

I sure would. I worry all the time about down syndrome and all those nasty diseases. Wouldnt really care to much about gender or stronger and faster and looks wise im a good lookin woman i think i could do the job there. I would love to build my kid.

Answer 8

This question enters the realm of "If you can, should you?"

To be perfectly honest, as with anything, there are pros and cons. Personally insofar as strength, speed, looks, intelligence, gender are concerned I say leave it up to good ol' Mama Nature. (Although I wish my parents could have had my genes altered to make me a little taller...)

Here's the rub...if you knew that a genetic disease ran in your family and there was a possibility that you, as a carrier, could pass it on to your child...why WOULDN'T you have it screened if you could? As a parent couldn't you be accused of child endangerment if you knowingly DIDN'T screen your child's DNA from this potential disease IF you could based on our culture's standards?

As for me, absolutely, I would screen myself, my wife, and my unborn children for any genes that could lead to disease. I make my kids wash their hands before eating and after going to the bathroom so they don't get sick...I see no difference in screening for genetic diseases.

Answer 9

I would just want a guarantee that the child will be perfectly healthy at birth. That's as far as I would go. Seeing your childs personality develop on it's own is too fun. Manipulating it wouldn't be as fun.

Answer 10

no, because then its not half of me and half of my bf. and its not its own individual, its just the same as cloning to me and when you mess with a living organism to suit you then its wrong. to suit you as in designing your child, or using a clone for its body parts. and designing a child, you know how many celeb look alikes we would have? i do see that the screen for imperfections can be an option. it could cure the next generations of diseases that we dont have cures for!