Baby Customization

A fertility clinic's promise to deliver the ultimate in designer babies - letting parents choose eye, hair and even skin color - is sparking a worldwide uproar.

Dr. Jeff Steinberg has already let thousands decide their kids' gender. Now he says that within the next six months, the Manhattan and L.A. offices of his Fertility Institutes will let would-be moms and dads pick whether junior has blue or brown eyes or black or blond hair.

"In the process of doing gender selection ... we've also uncovered the technology [to] characterize things like eye and hair color," said Steinberg, 54.

The idea of a Build-A-Bear style baby was slammed Monday by bioethicists and right-to-life groups - and Pope Benedict has warned against it for years.

The Pope railed against the "obsessive search for the perfect child" just two weekends ago. "A new mentality is creeping in that tends to justify a different consideration of life and personal dignity," he said.

Steinberg countered that reproductive technologies aren't about to go away.

"Genetic health is the wave of the future," he said. "It's already happening and it's not going to go away. It's going to expand. So if they've got major problems with it, they need to sit down and really examine their own consciences because there's nothing that's going to stop it."

Custom-made kids will be achieved through preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, the procedure used to weed out problem embryos and to allow parents to choose a gender.


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What do you think about this? I was reading the paper today and there was a column where someone compared this to "Hitler creating his master race."

 

Sure, it seems a bit creepy at first, but upon further analysis, I can find nothing wrong with it.

 

It is one step closer to playing god. Personally I wouldnt use it because you are the way you are. I don't have a problem with it though. Would there be any long term effects of being born with being altered?

 

It does sort of ruin the surprise of waiting 9 months and finding out as a surprise (hair color, eyes, etc.)

 

Creating a group of perfect people would cause so much hate a jealousy. The psychological affects on the world would be terrible.

 

Obviously it wont be perfect for everyone, but I know a lot of parents would want their kids to have the best life possible. Brown eyed people tend to have better eye sight and we all know gingers (on average) are less attractive.

 

Kind of freaky

 

Hitler's Aryan race is coming true shreadermeam..

 

I guess I wouldn't mind so much if I knew my baby had a big chance of becoming a ginger, but I was also thinking along the lines of having control over our babies to make them all become blond hair and blue eyes or whatever variation that could be applied to todays time.

It was only 60 years ago that Hitler wanted his perfect race.

 

I don't know, but I do think that babies should undergo testing to see if they have any disabilities before being put in a women. This could prevent many babies from being born with tragic disabilities.

 

I think that this "genetic perfection" is not bad but it is very dangerous too.

Genetical resarch is quite new and that´ s why I hope it will not get out of control.

 

If people got to choose how their baby looks like it doesn't mean they would all look the same... not everyone likes the same color eyes and hair people c'mon...


and the Pope can go suck a fat one.

 

No one should be perfect.
Ever.
Imperfections make people unique, and it should stay that way.

 

I think my kids would be best to be all natural.

I don't see much wrong with this, but I didn't read everything about it, but I'd rather have a natural kid.

 

Its crazy that anyone could create the perfect child. But also people could be dickheads and fuck up a child and make it retarded just for fun.

 

I think its 100% wrong, you should not be able to change your babies appearance. To be honest I personally cant think of a solid reason why other then i just don't like it.

 

lol instead of ugly pepole in days, prtty pepole =D

 

There's a bit of a difference between customizing your child and killing all non-Aryans.

Our imperfections aren't what make us unique - we all have varying personalities, interests, and abilities.

In any case, why would you hold parents back in the name of imperfection?

 

im gna make my kids look like mr T fool

 

I completely support this. Of Course I want my baby to look cute and not ugly. I also want it to be smart and respectful. I want to choose how it looks like. That's just me. And don't give me all this God Bullshit. I think God wants us to do whatever we like to do not what he likes to do.

If it was a girl I want it to be hot, if it's a boy handsome and hot.......

I also want it to be blond hair and blue eyes. That's the perfect look.