The ideas and implementation of designing our children using technology and using birth control are very similar. Birth control lets us decide when we want to have kids. It makes it convenient for the wanna-be parents so they are able to create the very best environment for the child that they want to raise, or to make sure that their relationship is sound. Genetically modifying our children lets us choose the characteristics of our children by either selecting screened embryos or changing our child's genes.
I guess what i am getting at here, is whether birth control and genetically modifying our children are two different things, or the same thing. Both technologies let the parents or wanna-be parent decide some type of fate for the future child. Whether we selected the specific genes for the child or decide when the child will be born its the same concept of modifying the natural process of child bearing. I'm not saying that these technologies and ideas are bad or wrong, or right for that matter, but im just saying that they are alot more closely linked than i had thought.
The idea of birth control and designer babies can be linked back to the idea of eugenics. Margret Sanger, who was influential in the mass production of birth control was also a big eugenicist. Im looking at these two concepts through the same seeing device. Even though, in today's society they might not be seen in such a way, I feel like designer babies and birth control are very similar.
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I can definately see where you are coming from. Whether we use birth control or design our babies, we are still interfering with the natural process of life. These two aspects are very disimilar, but are on the same spectrum when you consider the big picture. We want to be able to have control over our lives and everything that happens, even though this is not entirely possible. Although taking birth control and picking the eye and hair color of our babies allows to to experience this control. It may just be an immitation of control, but that's good enough for us. If we can have control over things such as changing our physical body, designing our babies, or choosing to take birth control and not to have them at all, it gives us a sense of comfort and security knowing that we can't control our death, but we CAN control the things that happen while we live.
ReplyDelete'Natural'? 'Choice'? Pivotal issues. In 'natural law' philosophy (what the Roman Church teaches), one can define what is and isn't 'natural' and any interference is--well---wrong. Clear with birth control, maybe. But how about taking penicillin for strep? Is it natural to die? Where the lines are drawn turn out to be really cultural.
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