DESMA 9 Extra Credit Event 5
Extra Credit Event 5
The event for Biotech + Art was a watch party of the 1997 film Gattaca. The film is set in a time where eugenics are common, where children’s genetic traits are selected for. It follows the hardships of a boy whose parents chose not to follow the widespread practice of choosing their children’s traits. That society holds a ton of value to genetics, and attributes a large part of who a person is to their genetic makeup. Now. While it is true that genetics play an enormous role in our lives, they do not determine our destiny. You could be given a great genetic makeup, and still turn out bad. You could be dealt some crappy genetic cards, and end up happy and successful. It just depends on what you choose to do with what you are given, though it is also dependent on how a society treats and accommodates the “less desirable” traits. After all, in the end, it is the society that chooses what is considered desirable. Who decides what is a good trait and a bad trait, and why?
Parents choosing their child’s traits
The idea of eugenics and selecting an offspring’s genetic makeup is not that far off. Animals tend to naturally select partners with traits that will lead to healthy offspring. And evolution naturally does genetic changing with natural selection. Humans have selectively bred animals for our own gain several times. Eugenics and selecting our babies’ traits seems like the logical next step. There is already some pretty heavy research into this. Ever heard the term “designer babies”?
Designer Baby Graphics. Why are these types of traits what everyone wants?
First conceived by Dr Jeff Steinberg, the idea of “designer babies” is self explanatory: genetically modified babies. What if you could choose your child’s eye and hair color, their build, and other traits? What if we eliminated birth defects, or disabilities? This, of course, comes with a multitude of ethical and philosophical discussions on if we should be doing this. To quote the first Jurassic Park movie, “scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Is it too reminiscent of Nazi ideology, in which a certain race of people (who must be cisgendered, hetersexual, and not disabled) are considered better, and anyone who doesn’t fit doesn’t deserve to exist? Would it be helpful to get rid of certain hereditary/genetically linked disabilities, or do we need that genetic variance? Why would those disabilities be considered bad, when they might simply just not fit in to the general picture of the population? Why get rid of them, when we could accommodate them? But then, are these people suffering because of the society, or because of their genetics? I believe there is at least a little bit of truth in most of the arguments. There is no “right” answer. However, one thing is for sure: we would really need to know when to stop. At what point have we gone too far? I think we won’t know until it’s too late.
References:
Gattaca. Directed by Andrew Niccol, performances by Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arkin, Song Pictures Releasing, 1997
Pratico, Samuel. “The Ethics of Designer Babies.” ST112 A2018, 28 Apr. 2018, web.colby.edu/st112a2018/2018/04/28/the-ethics-of-designer-babies/.
Minchin, Steve. “Designer Babies - Engineering the Perfect Baby.” Explore Biotech, 19 Jan. 2020, explorebiotech.com/designer-babies-engineering-perfect-baby/.
“Designer Babies, PGD, Genetically Modified Babies, GM Baby.” New Hope Fertility Center, 29 Jan. 2020, www.newhopefertility.com/designer-babies/.
Burke, Posted byJenn. “Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should.” Jenn Burke, 16 Oct. 2015, jennburke.com/2015/10/16/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-you-should/.
CRISPR Designer Baby. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/01/crispr-could-make-designer-babies-and.html Image.
Cartoon parents choosing child traits. https://upfront.scholastic.com/content/dam/classroom-magazines/upfront/issues/2018-19/051319/p6-7-designerbabies/UPF051319-DesignerBabies-cartoon-hero-.jpg Image.
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