Is it Ethical 2: The Designer Baby Machine

Hi. Welcome to the second Is It Ethical page! If this is your first time doing one of these, let me do a rundown on the rules.

1. Read the paragraph provided.
2. Use what you know about bioethics to determine weather or not the procedures in the story are ethical.
3. Respond in the comments with weather or not you think it's ethical and why you think that way.
4. Keep comments appropriate.

Now that you know the rules, let's begin!

## Article: The Designer Baby Machine

A group of android scientists have created an arcade-like machine that utilizes CRISPR-Cas9 to create a designer baby for the user. The way the machine works is the user selects what traits they want their baby to have, and the machine matches the selected traits with a large inventory of germ cells. The machine then uses CRISPR to inject the traits that weren't already on the cell.

Then, the machine will fertilize the edited egg cell with the edited sperm cell, and will inject it into a robot designed to replicate the womb. After 9 months, the baby will be delivered, and the user who ordered it will receive their baby. The machine is free to use in terms of money, but in exchange for using the machine, the android scientists insist that the user donates some of their DNA, preferably germ cells. Then, they will go on to use those germ cells for future users to create their own designer baby.

I had to add more to this article and make my visit to the machine worth it, so here's an overview of the machine. The machine is located in a gated community, or at least what is disguised as one. The main screen takes on the appearance of a large TV screen mounted to the wall, and a long terminal under the screen has a touch screen used to select the traits on. It seems to mirror the large screen on the wall. The options for your baby first starts with an intro of a Text to Speech welcoming you to the terminal.

Before the machine starts the baby customization process, it will have the user submit their personal information, including a DNA sample. The way this works is the bottom terminal has a small needle automatically replaced between users and covered when not in use. The user puts their finger on it and it collects a small blood sample. The user also give the machine their name, biological gender, and birth date.

Then, the machine prompts the user to choose the desired gender of their baby. In some cases, they can insert their germ cells first and have those edited. After they choose the gender, it will move on and ask what color they want their baby's skin to be. After that, they can choose eye and hair colors. Those are just the basics.

After the user chooses their baby's physical appearance, the machine goes on to prompt them to choose genetic traits, such as if they want your baby to have certain traits like Sickle Cell, HIV resistance, and many others. For some reason, the machine gives users the option to give your baby a genetic disorder. After all, this machine can give you a baby with any reasonable traits you want.

After the user has chosen all the traits, the machine will ask them if they want to create this baby using their own germ cells, or cells that are already in the machine. It will also ask in the case that the user is female, if she wants to carry the baby. In the case that a male is using the machine, it won't give him the prompt. Regardless of the user's gender, it will always default to having the robot carry it.

It will take around a week for the machine to process your request, and 9 months for the baby to develop, but after the long wait, the user will have a brand new custom baby!

**Now it's your turn!**

Is what these scientists are doing ethical? How will their actions affect the human population in the future? Post your opinion in the comments on if you think that this experiment is ethical or unethical, along with an explanation on why you answered the way you did. Be sure to keep it appropriate!