TED BODRUM COLLEGE / 8-C
Designer Babies …
Elif Damla AKIL
Such an amazing phrase , isn ’ t it ? I mean , designer babies ! Just think about it ! Doesn ’ t it seem wonderful , to be able to just edit a child as you wish ? Well , even if it doesn ’ t to you , it must have been to someone , because now we have a term called ‘ designer babies ’. Now , even though I do not support such a thing , I have to admit , it is a good opportunity . Many children can be saved from being affected by gender-related illnesses , and we could save a lot of lives that deserve to live .
However , as I believe and understand , people ‘ edit ’, or ‘ design ’ their babies out of the free will . They go to the hospital and say something along the lines of , ‘ Excuse me , I would like to change my daughter ’ s behaviour , appearance and maybe even what ever she will like in the future .’
Doesn ’ t that look like a bit of a power abuse ? Now , don ’ t get me wrong , yes , I do believe this could save a lot of lives , but would it ? Changing what ’ s already going to be perfect ? If there ’ s not an illness involved , why mess with the genes ?
Imagine , twelve years from now . One of the world ’ s first designer babies . She was supposed to have brown eyes and brown hair if everything went according to the laws of nature . Instead , she has blue eyes and ginger hair . Imagine how she feels . Imagine when she discovers she was designed . Imagine when she discovers , she was not meant to be like that . That has to hurt .
What I have been trying to tell is that it ’ s unnecessary . To mess with what was going to be . To decide what wasn ’ t meant for baby designers to decide . It hurts . They are brought to life , and they are not normal .
I understand that some people out there support this , and everything that this could bring . My question is , do these people know everything about what this could bring ? Do they know what it could do to a child ? Do they know it ’ s wrong ? Apart from what may happen to the child during and after the process ? Genes are no game , children could get some genetic disease when they are tried to be made prettier !
People should love and accept their children . Any child , for that matter . People should see them through , and appreciate who they are , not how they look , or , how talented they are . For example , a child should not be adored because they have blue eyes , but because they are brave enough to tell you that they love blue . People should not allow society to put pressure on them to change or design their babies .
I would like to emphasize that this madness has to stop . We should say no to designer babies , as long as they are not ‘ designed ’ to save them from some disease , probably related to gender . We should love them , for what they are .