BBC "Designer Babies" debate should start, scientist say

Dr. Tony Perry has had a long history in the scientific art of cloning. Dr. Perry, who has worked on the first set of teams which cloned pigs and mice at the University of Hawaii in 2007, is now claiming that his techniques in cloning are steadily approaching a one-hundred percent efficiency rate. Dr. Perry’s experience with the genetic modification of animals has led to a breakthrough in cloning of human embryos, which he calls “designer babies.” These designer babies have the potential to become genetically modified for physical appearance, prevention against heritable or communicable diseases, and intelligence. The surgical techniques that Dr. Perry and his team have created, has made it possible for them to cut and reinsert genetic information. The modification of this genetic information of embryonic cells has sparked a major debate concerning the ethical conflicts among the medical, scientific, and political community. One of the major ethical concerns is governance, and how the law should decide on the restrictions of human cloning. As of today, there are still more laboratory test and medical safety precautions that would need to be taken before the option of genetically altered babies could effectively be open to the public. If the process of removing mutagen (disease causing) DNA and reinserting specialty coded DNA to create a new generation of designer babies continues, where does this leave families who cannot afford this modified type of fertility treatment? In the future, will this type of fertility treatment create an ongoing social conflict between natural born children and genetically altered children? Is it plausible to contemplate that genetically altered, disease resistant, aesthetically superior children will view natural born children as inferior people within society? In terms of school and education, would it be an academically level playing field if genetically altered children were to compete for the same scholarships that natural born children are applying for? All of these questions are valid ethical implications that we must consider in the near future.