The Ethics of Genetically Enhancing Children Essay

The term designer children is unnerving at first to many. The idea of parents designing the genetic makeup of their offspring makes children seem like a commodity in a genetic free market. Thoughts of a dystopian society like the one in the film â€Å"Gattaca† come to mind. However, taking an immediate repugnant stand against genetic enhancement is not well-founded. A more open-minded inspection of the issue reveals that the idea of parents improving their children’s life prospects through genetic engineering (provided it is safe) is, at its core, not unethical. In fact, some genetic enhancement in addition to correcting deleterious genes to prevent disease is a moral obligation. It is moral to make rational decisions using the science and†¦show more content†¦Genetic enhancement is just another form of enhancement which has the benefit of the child in mind. There are many others: education, medical care, extra-curricular activities, etc. As Goering puts it, a parent does not blink when they give the child vitamin supplements, vaccinations, and dental enhancements (e.g., braces) [Goering, 2]. Imposing parental treatment is a part of being human and is ethical when the intentions are beneficent. There is no real difference in changing attributes of a child for the better at the genome level, or once the child is born. If administering growth hormones to young children to prevent them from being too short [Simon] is justifiable, then so is germline genetic modification of height to produce the same result. Or, if parents are fine with the installation of braces to straighten their child’s teeth, then they should be fine with genetic manipulation instead to produce the same outcome. The two actions are basically the same; the latter is perhaps even better as it eliminates the discomfort of being forced to wear braces. 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