Genetic Engineering and Engineering

Designing Babies: Genetic Engineering

The rapid development of science and technology has led to an advanced knowledge in the human genome with an increasing ability to change and modify genes to assist people designing babies that suit their wishes in the future. The genetic screening techniques are already being used in some countries where embryos are selected by sex and genes resistance to diseases. The argument in support of genetic engineering is that in the future, scientists will have the ability to replace the faulty genes with healthy DNA genes thereby eradicating the genetic diseases. Through genetic engineering it will be possible to design babies who will be highly intelligent, becoming great leaders and scientists in the future. Additionally, it will be possible to correct genetic diseases passed from generation to generation assisting families to install genes that offer lifelong protection against diseases. Despite the aforementioned benefits suggested by the scientists, some people are against the notion of designing babies through genetic engineering on the ground that it is not ethical. Dozens of countries "have banned germ-line engineering." (Regalado 1). European Unions have also concluded that tampering with genes is a crime against humanity.

The objective of this essay is to assess the argument of Mill, Kant and Locke with regards to the issue of designing babies through genetic Engineering if the technology is cheap and free.

Assessment of Mill (Utilitarianism) towards Designing Babies

The utilitarianism principle bases their argument by portraying that social benefits should be maximized. The utilitarianism principle believes that the net social benefits are derived when social benefits outweigh the social costs. Thus, a utilitarian believes that genetic engineering could be beneficial to society because the technology will improve the quality of human life. However, utilitarian will judge genetic engineering harmful if the costs to society are high. For example, if a genetic engineering causes suffering or disease to society and lowering the quality of life, the costs have outweighed the benefits. With reference to designing babies through genetic engineering, suppose a doctor tells the parents that their embryo may suffer from a serious heart disease, and they are given the option of replacing the genes that are associated with that illness to give birth to a healthy child, a utilitarian will consider this move to be beneficial to society because it is not going to be a burden to the healthcare system leading to the development of a healthy child. The costs of this decision are that the society may view this decision as unethical because they regard the parents tampering with God's will. Mill argues the society ought to put a limit to such experiment because it is a crime against human generation. (Mill, 177)

Kant, and Locke (or Hobbes) Argument on the use of the Technology

On the other hand, Kant's argument is based on the action that involves the genetic engineering. While Kant is not interested in the benefits that genetic engineering brings to the society but sorts of action involving the genetic engineering. According to Kant, the action behind the designing genetically modified babies is not morally justified no matter the benefits that may come from this action because good consequence may come from bad actions. Typically, the right principle is an action where an individual has the moral rights to do something that has no impacts on the moral rights of the other. Based on this principle, the decision to change the genes of babies is not morally justified because the society does not have the right to change the traits of the embryo for enhancement purposes. Kant argues duty-based ethics are obligatory because of the adverse outcome of genetic engineering. Kant's principle also believes that practice of genetically designed babies is immoral because the harm inflicted may not be measured accurately. The deontological objections to baby designed genetic engineering shows that by genetically selecting our offspring, the society is treating unborn children as inhuman in order to achieve our ends. Moreover, genetic tests encourage abortions in the society, which are morally wrong. More importantly, "a stem cell research involves the destruction of human embryos, which is unethical." (Lo and Parham 208).

Locke (or Hobbes) morally Assessment on Genetic Engineering