“Designer Babies” Upfront magazine article essay

Scientists say that the day when parents can select the traits their child will receive isn’t too far off. Many people are getting excited about the idea that we will be able to design our own babies, while others are questioning how much we should really be tampering with the way humans naturally reproduce. This new concept of selecting our children’s genes is raising a lot of controversy, such as the questions of whether it’s ethical, and whether it’s safe.

           

            Many are questioning whether the idea of designing our own babies is ethical. We would be tampering with natural human reproduction. Many people are wondering whether these “designer babies” would still be considered human, or if they would be considered computer-designed gene combinations. Josephine Johnston, an ethicist at the Hastings Center in Hudson, NY, finds this concept very troubling. “…The changes that play into social advantage, I hope people will pause and reconsider,” she says. “It’s hard to know how you would resist the temptation to do those things, because they are the things that promise to give your child an edge in the competitive world.” Also, the eugenics movement, which began in the late 19^th century, “sought to improve the human race by discouraging the reproduction of those thought to have undesirable traits.” Eugenics was also at the root of the Nazi’s ideas on “racial purity,” which ultimately led to the holocaust. All of these ideas show how controversial the ethical side of this argument is.

            Many people are also questioning whether designing our own babies is safe. There are many complicated aspects to creating babies this way, and they could easily go wrong. Some people are also wondering whether it could create any genetic abnormalities. Jeremy Gruber, the president of the Council for Responsible Genetics, says we need to be very careful about any procedure that changes an embryo’s genes. He’s worried that they could unintentionally cause new genetic abnormalities, or could even accidentally eliminate positive traits. “You are conducting an activity that permanently alters the genome of the individual,” he says. “If you get it wrong, you’re not only getting it wrong for that individual; it becomes inheritable. That’s why it’s so crucial to make sure its safe before it’s allowed to move forward.” Some countries have already passed laws prohibiting scientists from altering the human genome in any way that could be passed down on to descendants. This shows how dangerous designing our own babies could be.

            Some say that there’s good reason to be excited about the scientific advances in genetics: diseases that result from genetic defects may be able to be prevented. Scientists have already found the defective genes that cause many of the genetic disorders, so the “designer baby” idea could replace the defective genes with healthy ones. This could make it a possibility for some horrible diseases to be a thing of the past. But, with all of the potential risks and the ethical controversy, it may not be worth it.

            Designing your own baby may be closer in our futures than we think. As exciting as this may seem, there are multiple downsides. It could cause more genetic abnormalities or eliminate positive traits, and by altering the human genome, the genetic abnormalities would become inheritable. It could also potentially cause another eugenics movement, which could easily lead to a repeat of the holocaust. Although designing your own baby might make it possible for genetic diseases to be a thing of the past, it may not be worth it. 

Who’s to Blame for the Deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

            In “Romeo and Juliet,” by William Shakespeare, Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. It was his idea for the two of them to fake their deaths so they could run away together, and it was his letter that was supposed to tell Romeo about the plan and Juliet’s “death,” but was never delivered. Therefore, Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

            Friar Lawrence came up with the idea for Juliet to fake her death. In Act 4, scene 1, Friar Lawrence says to Juliet, “If… Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself… take thou this vial… no warmth, no breath shall testify thou livest.” In this scene, Friar Lawrence is telling Juliet of his plan for her to fake her death, have a burial, and then Romeo will be there when she wakes up and they will run away together. This plan is very risky, because if Romeo doesn’t receive the message that Juliet is still alive, the plan could fall apart. Friar Lawrence doesn’t warn Juliet about the risks of this idea, and just assumes that everything will go according to plan. This shows that Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

            Friar Lawrence sent a message to be delivered to Romeo that would let him know about Juliet faking her death so they could run away together. In Act 5, scene 2, Friar Lawrence tells Friar John, "The letter was not nice but full of charge, of dear import, and the neglecting it may do much danger." In this scene, Friar Lawrence is asking Friar John to deliver the message to Romeo. This plan is also risky, because the message is extremely important and there could be a miscommunication, or the letter could be misplaced, or any other number of possibilities could go wrong. Friar Lawrence clearly didn’t think everything through, and didn’t realize how much could go wrong when delivering the message. Also, he trusted someone else who had no part in the conflict with a life or death situation. He should have delivered the letter himself, or he should have told Romeo in person. This probably would have led to less confusion, and Romeo and Juliet might have survived. This shows that Friar Lawrence is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

            Some people might argue that it was Romeo and Juliet’s fault for wanting to run away in the first place, but Friar Lawrence could have given them a safer way to run away together, or he could have paid closer attention and made sure the message was delivered to Romeo so he would know that Juliet wasn’t actually dead and he would know of their plan to elope.

            Although there were many variables as to why Romeo and Juliet died, Friar Lawrence played a key role in both of their deaths. If Friar Lawrence hadn’t come up with the idea for Juliet to fake her death, or if he had made sure the message was delivered to Romeo, they might have survived. In the play “Romeo and Juliet,” by William Shakespeare, these reasons and more show that the deaths of Romeo and Juliet can be blamed on Friar Lawrence.