Human beings are never satisfied about who they are and they never will be. Historically, human beings have always wanted to make changes to themselves. Perhaps that idea began since 3000 BC when ancient Egyptians and Greeks used cosmetics like eyeliner and lipstick to change their appearance and look better. Subsequently in the middle Ages the French king Louis XIV wore the first pair of high-heeled footwear because he wanted to look taller. The innovation of human seeking for perfection has been rapidly continuing since then.
In 1917 the first cosmetics propose plastic surgery has been made for a British man called Walter Yeo who needed a surgery for his face (“telegraph”).
Furthermore, on 1946 a surgeon from New Zealand called Harold Gillies carried out the first female-male sex reassignment surgery (Roach).
On the seventies of the 20th century hair relaxer products have been popular among African American women to make their curly-textured hair less tangled, softer and easier to be dressed. In addition cosmetic contact lenses have been designed to change the appearance and the color of the eye.
In present, geneticists have taken it to the next level by developing the techniques of designer babies; this technology allows the parents to choose how they want their babies to be. The technology of designer babies will change the concept of human beings forever and it is going to lead to many bad consequences. Thus, designer babies should be banned in the future because they will have major issues regarding the human nature characteristics such as changes in racial heritage, affecting genders equity and changing the human species.
Designer babies can change essential features of humane racial heritage. It changes babies’ genes to make them different than their parent’s ethnic genes. The affect of it maybe clearly seen in some countries ,where some races other than the white race are mostly not satisfied about their racial features. it can happen to them due to being an ethnic minor or lacking specified beauty standards in their nation; not having blue eyes and blond hair for instance.
Dark black Americans experience many general negative perceptions by society, Such as unfair treatment by police and being treated as less smart. In addition, people consider them as criminals and act afraid of them (Lynn, 356).
Designer babies can change the appearance, thus it may be used by parents to change their babies skin color or other racial features. Although many parents think that this kind of technology may solve their social and ethnic problems, these problems should not be solved in such away.
It will cause losing the identity that makes each race more distinguished. Societies should focus on the importance of the mind rather than the features of each race. Changes in human racial heritage are not the only thing that designer babies can make in humans. Moreover, parents can change their babies’ gender by using designer babies technologies that can lead to gender inequity. Societies have different perspectives about the functions of each gender. Some societies value one gender to the other.
According to Lemonick In China and India male babies are more highly valued than female ones where male and female babies are already out of balance; designer babies could tip the scale even further. In other societies, such as the American society, surveys showed that the number of families who want female or male babies is equal. However, they believe that the ideal family should have a boy as the oldest. The study shows that some cultures value male children more than females, which is currently affecting the evenness of genders in these countries.
In addition, this study give a clear estimation that in some countries parents would rather have more male babies than female ones due to cultural reasons. As a result, gender discrimination can spread through using designer babies technologies. Females will lose their rights and have minor roles. Also, the decreasing of females will affect the natural rate of propagation of humans. In the long term, the number of humans will decrease. Gender can be changed by this technology thus, it can be clearly noticed that more serious changes may happen to humans by designer babies.
Furthermore, changing genes continually means completely changing the human species. Human features are represented in human genes. For example, they determine the average persons height and IQ level. However, designer babies technologies have great abilities to mold those features. By allowing designer babies technologies, those human genes will be baubles for genetics. In fact Silver said that, once genes modify a human egg; it gives the ability to someone to pass on new genetic element that was never represented in human beings to following generations.
Accordingly, Continues modifying of genes to human would lead to lose lots of human features, for example normal height can be taller and IQ levels are higher. As a result, new creatures are going to be represented as having supernatural powers. Additionally, once those changes are made, they cannot be retracted because, they last forever in human genetic heritage. Consequently life is going to be hard to normal humans who cannot cope up with supernatural humans created by genetics.
In conclusion, designer babies would cause many issues regarding humans. It would lead people to change their racial heritage identities shown in their babies. Moreover, it would lead to disvalue the importance of a function due to social thoughts that should not be taken into consideration. Eventually it may turn human from being humans to being other creatures. Finally, human beings are originally creative, beautiful and powerful the way they have been created. Kurt Cobain said,” wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are”.