Designer Babies Are Now Availableby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 03 Mar 2009 07:28 AM
I think diversity breeds beauty literally. Think of all of the high fashion models out there that have bizarre features that somehow come together in the exact right way to make them beautiful. Or think about your own baby and how he or she is a perfect mix of the best of everything. However, if that isn't enough for you, a fertility clinic is now letting you design your baby to a limited degree. Dr. Jeff Steinberg, who operates fertility clinics in New York and Los Angeles, says that he will soon be letting his customers design their own babies, by choosing hair color, eye color and skin color. Design babies? Customers? Dr. Steinberg says that the techniques aren't 100 percent accurate, and that they are most successful for parents of Scandinavian decent because of the least dilution in the gene pool. Okay, gene pools that are the least diluted. Does this raise a red flag here as well? So, what do you think of this issue? If you could go back and change the hair, eye or skin color of your baby, would you? Would it be right to opt for a lighter or darker color skin, let's say, so your child might fit in better? Would parents be most likely to choose blonde haired blue-eyed babies that might suggest an awful time in our history and talk about creating a master race? Society is constantly telling us what is beautiful. Should we let that dictate our offspring? Studies have shown that statistically more attractive people get further ahead than less attractive ones, so is there anything wrong with trying to give your child a physical advantage? Even if you wouldn't choose a designer baby, do you think it should be allowed? Should parents be able to do whatever they want with their genes? Do you think this practice might lead to parents "buying" the best genes for their child? Or, are we blowing this whole option out of proportion? Let me know what you think. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Related Articles: Genetic Test Promises to Tell If Your Baby Will Be a Star Athlete Baby Goes Missing Under the Floorboards Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments EvaRose (260) 03 Mar 2009 08:10 AMI have been blessed with five wonderful, perfect children. Part of the miracle is how they are all unique and different. I would not change a thing. It is my opinion that designer babies are more about the parent's wants, and less about the child. EvaRose (260) 03 Mar 2009 08:12 AMI have been blessed with five wonderful, perfect children. Part of the miracle is how they are all unique and different. I would not change a thing. It is my opinion that designer babies are more about the parent's wants, and less about the child.  ruthann8 (6378) 03 Mar 2009 10:58 AMI really don't think it is going to be that popular. The cost will be outrages and the technique is unnatural. It is also not a guarantee. Most normal people are not going to do this. This technique was developed for parents who carry genes for medical conditions that are deadly to babies/children. Like cystic fibrosis which when both parents carry the gene there is a 25% chance the baby will have the disease. And I know there are many other deadly genetic disorders. I think we may just be overreacting b/c of all the hype over the octuplets situation.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 04 Mar 2009 10:39 AMActually, this particular fertility doctor is offering specific services for choosing eye, hair and skin color. He plans on having his first clients in six months. This is not selecting against horrible conditions. This is selecting for appearance. ruthann8 (6378) 05 Mar 2009 06:16 AMYa I know it is for selecting appearance, but the technique has been used for genetic medical conditions for awhile now. I just don't think people are going to pay the cost for a blond haired blue eyed boy. And after they are told what they have to go though and its not a guarantee people are just not going to do it. The technology has been around for awhile. I just don't think normal people are going to go do it. Would you? I think any laws reguarding this may hurt people who really need to use the technology. Most people just want a healthy baby. Mary Ann Romans (26876) 05 Mar 2009 09:44 AMThanks for the clarification. I do think that some people will pay for the privilege of selecting for appearance. The Doctor claims he already had clients lining up for the service. But perhaps many will drop the idea when they see what it entails. I don't think there should be a law against it, but I do think that this may be opening the door to a new form of prejudice. ruthann8 (6378) 05 Mar 2009 10:42 AMCurrently with what they can do I'm not to worried about it. As the technology advances and we can determine the genes for athleticism, intelligence, and more complex facial features such as high cheek bones, we will run into a problem :) But like you said diversity breeds beauty. I believe in one of my classes we discussed that one of the first things are mind uses to determine what looks good is symmetry.  drnewmom (307) 06 Mar 2009 07:10 AMAs said previously, though, there is no guarantee. The altered genetics just increases the likelyhood of the expression of the select traits. Since eye color, skin color, etc.. are not visible until the birth of the child and other traits will not be fully expressed for years, what are those parents going to do when the child is not "as designed"? Give them up for adoption as a school age child? I think not. I think legislation regarding this topic is expecially tough b/c the majority of people really have no idea what is really involved in the science. That being said, the future of any new and potentially poweful technology is unforseeable and is scarey for many to imagine. I think I need a few years to make up my mind on this one... Mary Ann Romans (26876) 08 Mar 2009 04:21 AMTo some degree, parents are increasing the likelihood of certain traits depending on who they mate with. There are so many reasons why we decide to marry and have children with a particular spouse. I know one woman, for example, who said she was only attracted to dark haired men because she wanted a dark-haired child. Samual (11722) 08 Mar 2009 08:11 AMI know someone like that too Mary, she is a red head herself and married another red head to ensure their children would all be blue eyed and red headed.  mcmama (51978) 08 Mar 2009 05:56 PMNothing wrong with having a preference, my mom wanted us to have my dad's brown eyes and thick black hair. Well, we got the eyes. Not too difficult, since brown eyes are more common than hazel/gray, which is what my mom had. But I have to wonder what happens when people PAY for the technology to get the boy or girl, get the color hair, eyes, etc. And then it doesn't work. What kind of rejection is there going to be? Speaking of hair, the gene for male pattern baldness is carried by the mother, I believe. Wonder if guys will want to design that out of the gene pool? Mary Ann Romans (26876) 09 Mar 2009 10:43 AMI wanted at least one of my children to have my hazel-green eyes, but alas they all have brown or hazel brown eyes. I don't think I would waste the money on selecting genetics for appearance. Nature has a way of selecting the best traits I think, and genetics is complicated. Blue-eyed white cats, for example tend to all be deaf. Cats are not people, but I don't think we know enough about how genes work in conjunction to make some of these decisions. Community Tags baby, blue eyes, designer baby, genetics Discuss this article
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