Genetic engineering

Align

<div class="IPBDescription">"Designed babies"</div>Rob mentioned this in passing in another topic, and I figure it deserves attention.
Objections against things like affecting how the baby will behave I can understand to some extent - though I disagree because I believe it's affected more by upbringing, which we leave in most parents hands - but finding geneering the in itself abhorrent I do not. No harm in paying to have your babys immune system improved, is there?
Disregarding that these things probably aren't viable at this point, could someone explain the viewpoint?

lolfighter

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

*cough* Couldn't resist. >_>

There's always the fear of homogenising the race - elminate every defect and we risk eliminating everything that turns us into individuals, too. And look at all the geniuses with their weird quirks.

locallyunscene

I'm not against it morally. Personally, I wouldn't change anything in my hypothetical child except to avoid horrible diseases.

Kassinger

We wouldn't be genetically engineering behavior anytime soon, even if we wanted to. Before this turns into a inheritance versus environment discussion, I think I should point out the answer seems basically to be that inheritance defines the range of possibilities, while environment decides expression.

As for genetic engineering, I think screening of already existing sperm and eggs through IVF will be the first common way to <strike>alter</strike> select for genes. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/" target="_blank">Gattaca</a> is a must-see movie for anyone interested in the topic, where this is the method used by everyone rich enough to pay for it. Here they don't alter a single gene, they just select. And as young males produce 200 million spermcells a day, you'd have enough to choose from. Artificial selection.

Real genetic engineering would more likely be used to add new genetic traits that we don't have in our gene pool. Like taking the ability to make antibiotic blood from crocodiles and giving it to humans. Removing sick genes is much simpler by selection. We already have examples of this happening, where Cyprus started a program in the 1970 which included pre-natal screening and abortion to kill fetuses which had thalassemia. Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disease which is very common in the Mediterranean with especially high concentration in Greece and southern Italy. Natural selection explains this as thalassemia also happens to protect against malaria, just like sickle-cell anemia. Historically the Mediterranean had a lot of malaria.

Through this program Cyprus brought the prevalence from 1 out of every 158 births to almost zero. There you go, it's happening today.