A US clinic has sparked controversy by offering would-be parents the chance to select traits like the eye and hair colour of their offspring.
The LA Fertility Institutes run by Dr Jeff Steinberg, a pioneer of IVF in the 1970s, expects a trait-selected baby to be born next year.
His clinic also offers sex selection.
UK fertility experts are angered that the service will distract attention from how the same technology can protect against inherited disease.
The science is based on a lab technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.
This involves testing a cell taken from a very early embryo before it is put into the mother’s womb.
Doctors then select an embryo free from rogue genes – or in this case an embryo with the desired physical traits such as blonde hair and blue eyes – to continue the pregnancy, and discard any others.
Dr Steinberg said couples might seek to use the clinic’s services for both medical and cosmetic reasons.
For example, a couple might want to have a baby with a darker complexion to help guard against a skin cancer if they already had a child who had developed a melanoma. But others might just want a boy with blonde hair.
His clinic is offering this cosmetic selection to patients already having genetic screening for abnormal chromosome conditions in their embryos.
Here’s another article on the clinic which says the price is about $18,000.
What happens when you order white and you get black? You can’t put it back!
I think that adoption would be a better idea in most situations.
If we had, say, three boys and wanted a girl, you can bet we’d look at the various options available to increase our chances.
Beyond that, this is freakin’ nuts.
Kinda strange. I see a better market for ensuring a kid doesn’t genetic defects.
4,
Really? I find that all the studies show that attractive, slim, tall, white people are the most successful.
Can they weed out the “fat gene”?
How about the “Republican gene”? That could help all of mankind?
# 5 Named said, “Really? I find that all the studies show that attractive, slim, tall, white people are the most successful.”
Maybe, in the 3rd world country you live in that’s true…
John C. can I have your sperm?
Interesting, study continues on area of DNA Xq28…
Quick! Who can say ‘Gattaca’!
Yeah, people are going to want tall and smart and probably not gay.
Some cultures are going to favor boys as well, but that has been available for a while.
Honestly, this is going to be the only way we ‘cure’ for the average differences in the races for a variety of traits.
Oh year, but race does not exist, I forgot.
#8, Cow-Patty
Maybe, in the 3rd world country you live in …
Which explains why a short, chunky asshole like yourself is such a failure.
Named is correct. For some inexcusable reason, we do prefer taller, white, attractive, full haired, college graduate, fair skinned, males to be our leaders.
# 12 Mr. Fusion said, “For some inexcusable reason, we do prefer taller, white, attractive, full haired, college graduate, fair skinned,”
Like Obama? White, fair skinned…
You realize what you just typed?
ROFL!
“Freedom means never having to say you’re sorry.”
-Me.
I mean, how else are you going to be able to have men who are trapped in women’s bodies who are reassigned to being men but still bear children?
http://tinyurl.com/4m4l69
Btw, if no one has any objections, I’d like to offer myself as the prototype for the master race.
RBG
We may be squeamish about this now, but this will become common-place eventually, especially when those “enhanced” humans have more social, economic, and health advantages over the rest of us “naturals”. They’ll become the preferred.
Legislation won’t stop it; it’ll just make it more exclusive for the elite.
#15 That’s whats got me saying Gattaca, Gattaca Gattaca!
Still too much variability. Much better to choose your kid after it is born and you can run a few real world tests on it. Octumom had the right idea, just didn’t have a template.
13,
Aside from white, he fits every other description… And he’s much fairer than say Joseph Kabila Kabang. But, I guess black and white has no shades to you…
Remember, McCain was short, crippled, dumb and balding. But he was white. Obama gives you 80% of your target, while McCain gave you 20%. Plus, throw in all the white women secretly wanting a black man to rule them, you’ve got a healthy majority.
# 18 Named said, “Aside from white, he fits every other description”
So, aside from not fitting the listed criteria, he fits the listed criteria. Got it. LOL
So, black, dark skinned, educated, good looking men, are preferred in the US society over others? Ah, that explains their dominance in all areas of society.
Thanks.