Are designer babies a good thing?

Biotech advances are happening very quickly—which has exciting implications for the future of human health. But some people are also worried.

Of the many biotech-related ethical quandaries facing us as we move into the future, some of the trickiest revolve around what we should be allowed to do to our embryos. Couples today are able to examine groups of embryos they produce and select one based on its traits, and we’re getting closer to a time when it may be commonplace for couples to tweak the DNA of a single embryo in order to change or enhance the traits of their future child.

Embryo selection or manipulation might apply to anything from disease prevention to cosmetic enhancements to the boosting of intelligence or talent.

How do you feel about these advancements? Would you use these tools to enhance your own embryo? If you had the power to stop their development for all of humanity, or to speed it up—would you do either?

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