Designer Babies; Are we taking Science too far?

 

I understand that some people feel the need to acquire designer shoes, jeans, bags, ECT; but in society today we have taken this term to a whole new level, in the form of designer babies.  A Designer baby!? Babies are living beings so how can they be designer? No worries, I’ll inform you ASAP, before you start in visioning a new born baby with a Versace or Dolce&Gabbana logo stamped on its forehead.

                A Designer Baby, by formal definition is, “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.”  Meaning, it is a child whose genes were modified in the process of their creation in order to prevent a certain disease or disable. Or a child was scientifically created in order to provide genes for another human or child with a disease or disability. (For example, providing a bone marrow or being a blood donor for a sibling with a blood disease).  How this process works is an embryo is created by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Genetic engineers modify the embryo’s DNA and then put inside the mother’s womb.

        Designer Babies are a phenomenal advance in the scientific world. I completely support the use of science in saving lives but this is a very touchy subject and there are very controversial ethnic and social views.  For example, if the science is being used to create a child who will be free from a genetic disease than that seems morally correct because we are using science to ensure the child’s health, and no other living beings are involved. However when a child is specifically created to provide a sibling with medical support, we must realize that this child is not being created out of love , it is being created for a purpose , and that is something that child will have to live with their whole life.   If a designer baby is being created in order to ensure it has a certain eye colour, height, athletic ability, intelligence capability, ECT, then I completely disagree with this. It would start many social and ethnic conflicts because this people who were genetically enhanced may think of themselves as superiors to others and the discrimination against people who have disabilities may increase. Additionally, this child that is being enhanced will one day discover this and may be upset with the choice the parents made for them.

        In conclusion, Designer Babies can be positively utilized in certain situations, however in most circumstances I believe we may be taking the science too far and starting too many controversies revolving social, ethnic, and moral implications.  So maybe before someone decides to genetically enhance their baby, they should ask themselves this, am I ordering a new pair of jeans or shoes? Or am I creating a living being that I will love for the rest of my life?  

Sources

·         “Design-A-Baby?”  Bionet, Explore Life Sciences and Debate the Issue.  Nov. 15, 10.

< http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_intro.htm>

·         “On the Path to Creating Designer Babies”.  Impact Lab, A Laboratory of the future human experience. Nov. 15, 10

<http://www.impactlab.net/2008/05/14/on-the-path-to-creating-designer-babies/>

·         “Designer Babies.”  Reader’s Digest. Nov. 15/10

<http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2001/09/designer_babies.html>

·         “Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations.”  Action Bio Science. Nov. 15, 10

<http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html>

·         “Doctor Makes Designer Baby, Would God be Happy.”  Naked with Socks On. Nov. 15, 10

http://nwso.net/2009/03/10/doctor-makes-designer-babies-would-god-be-happy

·         “Fertility Clinic Offers Designer Babies.”  Strollerderby, the Mother of all Parenting Blogs. Nov. 15, 10

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2009/02/17/fertility-clinic-offers-designer-babies.aspx

Blogs I Commented On

- Vilmas Blog : http://vilmabioblog.blogspot.com/

-Caitlyn's Blog: < http://caitlincosgrovebioblog.blogspot.com/>

Humans Helping Grizzlies



David Suzuki- Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, 1990



One of the most well known environmental organizations in Canada is the David Suzuki Foundation.  This is an organization that works hard to protect and maintain the well being of our planet. It wasfounded by David Suzuki in 1990. The David Suzuki Foundation works hard to protect all living things on our planet. In particular, an endangered species that they’re currently attempting to protect is the grizzly bear.

The grizzly bear’s population has been decreasing because of habitat loss, climate change, the decrease in population of salmon, and hunting. The grizzly bear  has a very large impact on the biodiversity of the ecosystem it lives in.  It is known as the “keystone” species because it greatly influences the diversity of other species that inhabit the same ecosystem it does.  The grizzlies do this by eating berries and insects and distributing seeds all over the ground to promote a variety of plant life, also by digging in the forests they help maintain the goodness of the soil. Additionally by eating salmon they spread nitrogen and other elements up streams into other habitats. Most importantly the grizzly bear is the top predator in the ecosystem and therefore has a very direct influence on the other livings in lower levels of the food chain. ( affecting the overall balance of the ecosystem)  For these reasons, grizzly bears are a species worth protecting. To help sustain the well being of grizzly bears we need to protect a lot of land, because of the large space they need to survive.  By doing this humans will protect many other plant and animal species in the area.

Grizzly Bears fishing for Salmon

Now you may be wondering how exactly humans are positively affecting these grizzly bears?  What are we doing to protect these magnificent creatures? Well, the David Suzuki Foundation has worked hard on raising awareness on this serous issue.  They’ve done this by not only listing numerous articles about the importance and endangerment of grizzlies on their website but they have provided people with very important facts, about the importance of the bears. Another thing the David Suzuki Foundation is doing is they are promoting a law against trophy hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia. They are doing this by raising awareness, and by having a petition you can join right from the website.  Other organizations that are working to protect the biodiversity of ecosystems that grizzly bears dwell in are the Wildlife Conservation Society, who helps the species by tagging bears to monitor their migration patterns and dwelling places and working to protect their habitats,  and The Grizzly People , which is a foundation strictly dedicated to help sustain the grizzly bear population.  In conclusion, grizzly bears are a very important species that contribute to the biodiversity of any ecosystem they live in. Therefore it is of the upmost importance that humans work hard to protect the grizzly bear and the ecosystems they inhabit.



Grizzly Bear foraging for berries



Refrences
" Grizzly People."  Website. 6 Oct, 2010.  < http://www.grizzlypeople.com/home.php>

" The Grizzly Bear." Wildlife Conservation Society. Website. 6 Oct, 2010.

<http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/bears/grizzly-bear.aspgclid=CN3CzdHotKQCFYs65Qod111NyA>

" The Grizzly Story" The Vital Ground Foundation. Website. 6 Oct, 2010. <http://www.vitalground.org/The%20Grizzly%20Story>

" Grizzly Bears" The David Suzuki Foundation. Website. 6 Oct, 2010.  <http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/wildlife-habitat/science/critical-species/grizzly-bears/>

" Biology in your Backyard" USGS Science for a changing world. Website. 6 Oct, 2010.  <http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/ScienceInYourState/Montana/images/Grizzly-bear.jpg&imgrefurl >

Blogs I Commented On

 <http://natashasbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/worlds-fastest-cats-are-disappearing.html?showComment=1286242837442#c7202012741578210922>

<  http://itsalive-conn.blogspot.com/>