In Case You Missed It ...
Mar 4, 2009 9:50 am US/Central
Doctor Discusses Genetically Designing Babies
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
If you could genetically design your baby, would you?
AP
Poll
A New York fertility clinic will soon allow would-be parents to choose their children's hair and eye colors. Should parents be allowed to "design" their kids?
You need the latest Flash player to view our Poll.
Click here to download.
Click here to
bypass this detection if you already
have the latest Flash Player.
If you could genetically design your baby, would you? At some fertility clinics, prospective parents can choose eye color, hair color and more, CBS station WCBS-TV reports.
The technology is called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis or PGD. Originally created to screen for disease, it's now allowing parents to choose physical traits.
Kirsten and Matt Landon worked with fertility expert Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg to select the sex of their daughter. Choosing other genetic traits intrigues them.
"By next year we'll offer sex selection with 100 percent accuracy and eye color with 80 percent accuracy," Steinberg said.
A recent survey suggests most people support the notion of building a better baby when it comes to eliminating diseases, but using the science for cosmetic reasons is controversial.
"Who's to say what's the better trait? Is it better to be redheaded than it is to be brown haired? Is it better to have freckles or not? Those sorts of things, i think, are very subjective," bioethics expert Dr. Arthur Caplan said.
Some worry that since the procedures are expensive, designing babies would be a privilege enjoyed only by the rich. And then, there is always the question of where to draw the line.
"Is this just a cash business where you'd say, 'You know, I want a child with short arms, I want a kid with athletic ability' but is everything and anything for sale at the fertility clinic?" Caplan asked.
Science, however, continues to march on.
"Once I've got this science, am I not to provide this to my patients? I'm a physician. I want to provide everything science gives me to my patients," Steinberg said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
RAW VIDEO: 100-Mile Police Chase
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments