Aldous Huxley, author of "Brave New World," sculpted a bleak vision of the distant future of life on Earth. In his masterwork, Huxley speaks of the infinite degradation of the lower classes at the hands of genetic engineering and conditioning beginning from birth.
While this novel was science fiction, recent developments in genetic screening and manipulation make Huxley's world a more likely scenario.
A couple used genetic testing to ensure that their son, Adam, wouldn't have the gene for the fatal bone marrow disease Fanconi anemia that affected his sister. Certain cells from Adam were harvested from the blood in his umbilical cord and used in Molly's circulatory system - saving her life.
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Babies like Adam, who were specifically created to save a life, should "not simply be a means to an end ... I do worry about the long range implications" of this procedure, said James Childress, Religious Studies Professor and Director of the Institute for Practical Ethics at the University's Center for Biomedical Ethics. In this case, Adam was not seen by his family as merely a way to save Molly's life, but as a planned second child who happened to be able to help Molly.
In the future, babies like Adam might be viewed as nothing more than factories that produced life-saving cells and not as individual lives. This is the central horror of "Brave New World" - a world in which humans are manufactured for a specific use and then exist as little more than garbage. Procedures such as this one could amplify society's disregard for the value of lives that are seen as "inferior."
Another issue generated by new genetic procedures is the creation of "designer babies." Babies could be engineered in any number of ways - height, hair, eye color and intelligence all could be genetically selected before the baby started growing past an embryo.
Additionally, there is the issue of risk. Genetic manipulation is a precarious proposition at best. Currently, a change in a gene could produce almost any result - our understanding of the human genetic code is rather shaky. Changing a gene we think controls one specific trait might have other unintended and tragic effects on the baby. This element of risk, when coupled with ethical concerns, is unacceptable.
In the future, we could derive benefits from prenatal genetic screening and manipulation. However, some families may not alter their baby's genetic code for strictly medical reasons, but for less noble purposes. When we permit necessary genetic modifications, what next? We open the door to judge unborn babies based on frivolous traits like nose size.
Once we allow these genetic procedures - once we've let the cat out of the bag - it's too late. As long as knowledge of the process remains, there's no way to stop potentially trivial projects.
In this specific case, Adam's story had a happy ending - he's wanted and loved by his parents. But what could happen to the next baby like Adam? Tales of infanticide are rare today, but it's possible that in the future, a baby like Adam could be killed after donating his cells or organs. We shouldn't devalue human life for the sake of a useful procedure.
Many people can think of something about themselves that they would gladly change if given the chance and still more would relish the opportunity for increased intelligence and attractiveness. These benefits could all be derived from manipulation of the genetic code. Can society control itself and remain true to the original life-saving motives of procedures such as the one carried out on young Adam? Frankly, looking at today's world, the answer is no. As a society, we demonstrate how superficial we are on a daily basis, and this tool for sculpting the children of tomorrow could prove irresistible to many.
The reason we aren't using genetic manipulation for the wrong reasons is because we don't know how to do it yet. When manipulations become refined to the point where we can safely change our genetic code, it is almost certain we will. We must resist the urge to perfect our children in a way nature did not intend.
How much do we value life? Are we willing to turn our youngest members into organ factories? Should we design babies to fit our specifications? We must say no; life is worth more than that.
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