'Designer Babies' - Your thoughts

[cwatts]

My name is Courtney; I am currently a senior in Yr. 12. I am writing to you as I am constructing an essay on the views of ‘designer babies’ for Study of Religion. I was wondering if you would be able to take some time to answer these questions in order to gain your perspective on this topic from a (Baptist/orthodox Christian) view.

In case you are unfamiliar, 'designer babies' is the latest birth technology in which people are able to choose certain characteristics and sex's for their child, such as intellectual or athletic abilities, tall, short, brown hair, blue eyes, girl or boy and so on.

Questions 1:
What is your opinion on the idea of ‘designer babies’ and why? Do you believe there is any advantage or disadvantage to this modern-day birth technology?

Questions 2:
Does this belief stem from a religious or moral view or both and why?

Question 3:
Are there any specific biblical verses that disapprove the idea of ‘designer babies’/birth technologies similar to this kind?

Scenario 1:
If you saw a member of the society (not related to the church) at a fertility clinic opting the idea of ‘designer babies’ in order to gain various attributes in their child such an intelligent or athletic boy or girl, for whatever purposes, what would be your thought and moral opinion on this?

Question 4:
What ethical approach do you think your church uses in order to confront such birth technologies as ‘designer babies’? What Christian church are you from (Eg; orthodox, baptist, catholic, etc.)

Question 5:
What ethical approach do you think you personally use in order to confront topics like these?

Scenario 2:
If it came down to the fact that you or a close family member was unable to carry a certain sex (leading to miscarriages, deformities and disabilities, etc.), would you reconsider the idea of using this birth technology to make it capable of having a baby?

[Divine Insight]

Questions 1:
What is your opinion on the idea of ‘designer babies’ and why? Do you believe there is any advantage or disadvantage to this modern-day birth technology?

It's hard to give an opinion on the topic in general. I think there are areas where genetic engineering may be quite appropriate. On the other hand it could easily become something that gets overused or even abused. So without having a specific scenario this is a difficult question to answer. I'm not against genetic engineering if done "wisely". But precisely where the line of wisdom gets crossed is hard to say.



Questions 2:
Does this belief stem from a religious or moral view or both and why?


From an ethical perspective I don't see anything inherently immoral about genetic engineering. Assuming that it can be shown to be at least as safe as random chance babies from natural methods.

From a religious perspective I would imagine that if there is a creator who places souls in fetuses the creator would still be the one to make that choice. I already have a problem with why a "God" would place a soul in a fetus that has a gross genetic defect or other disease.

Currently we see babies being born by mothers who are drug addicts. By women who have been raped or impregnated by non-consensual incest. And the list goes on. It seems to me that if there is a creator who places souls into new born babies he's already not concerned about what he'll place a soul into.

Genetically engineered babies done with good intentions are surely better than a lot of the random chance babies that are being born already.

So from an ethical or moral point of view, I really can't see an argument against it, unless the argument is that genetic engineering itself represents a huge risk. But if "Designer Babies" are being offered by professional doctors in a legal way I would imagine those risk factors have already been assessed to be acceptable.



Question 3:
Are there any specific biblical verses that disapprove the idea of ‘designer babies’/birth technologies similar to this kind?


I reject the Bible as having anything at all to do with any God.

I'm not an atheist. I believe in a spiritual essence to reality. But I don't worship the ancient Hebrew legends as the "Word of God" so I wouldn't even consider looking to the Bible for an answer to anything.



Scenario 1:
If you saw a member of the society (not related to the church) at a fertility clinic opting the idea of ‘designer babies’ in order to gain various attributes in their child such an intelligent or athletic boy or girl, for whatever purposes, what would be your thought and moral opinion on this?


I'm no longer a Christian, but I have to ask, didn't Jesus teach people not to judge others?

I don't go around judging the moral actions of others.



Question 4:
What ethical approach do you think your church uses in order to confront such birth technologies as ‘designer babies’? What Christian church are you from (Eg; orthodox, baptist, catholic, etc.)



Exodus 20:
[25] And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
[26] Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

I don't believe in churches.

I personally feel that it's extremely ironic that most Christian Churches are built from hewn stone or brick, and they also have steps leading up to the altar where the Holy Biby sits on a pedestal commanding that they do not do what they have just done.

From my perspective religions are almost always extremely hypocritical in their beliefs, traditions, and behavior.



Question 5:
What ethical approach do you think you personally use in order to confront topics like these?

Again, Ironically I seem to like the things that Jesus taught in spite of the fact that I'm not even a Christian.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

The only way that I would ever need to "confront" this topic is if I was personally considering having a "Designer Baby". And then I would like to be able to make that decision on my own without having a bunch of hypocritical religious bigots making a big deal out of my choices.

When it comes to other people, like I say, I do as Jesus taught, even though I'm not even a Christian:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

Well, I would have them allow me to make my own choices, and so clearly this is what I must do for them as well.

It's not my place to push my moral values onto others.



Scenario 2:
If it came down to the fact that you or a close family member was unable to carry a certain sex (leading to miscarriages, deformities and disabilities, etc.), would you reconsider the idea of using this birth technology to make it capable of having a baby?

I'm not in the market for making babies right now. But yes, if genetic engineering can help those who need it they certainly have my blessings.

Like I say, those who believe that a God places souls into babies should also leave it up to God.

If God doesn't want to place a soul in a particular baby then shouldn't that baby be stillborn?

And I still have a problem with why a God who places souls in babies bothers to place them babies that are born with defects, disease, or even just into a really bad abusive environment.

I would think that if there exists a God who places souls into babies, that God should already have a clue what he's doing. The choice of putting a soul into a baby would be God's choice, not ours. Unless we are indeed the creators of life. In that case, then shouldn't we be the ones to decide how we would like to create it?

If the creation of a new baby is truly in our hands (and I believe that it is), then it seems fitting that we should have a say in how that baby is designed.

[cwatts]

[Replying to post 2 by Divine Insight]

Thank you so much for your reply Divine Insight, it was an amazing insight and will be very useful to my essay. So thank you