Making Babies On The Assembly Line

Erik Gryphon writes: "It looks like Aldous Huxley was right; in the future babies will come off an assembly line according to the New Scientist. The story here gives details of a chip for in-vitro fertilization. Now the question is, do we really need 16,00 Britney Spears?"

Comments

Re:scary stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaking as someone who has adopted a child... governments do very little to encourage, and much to discourage, being an adoptive parent. Quite frankly, the hurdles that are placed in the path of adoptive parents are enough to discourage even a loving family from considering adoption. On top of having to get a lawyer, court hearings, paperwork, unbelievably intrusive personal investigations, multiple visits and home studies by social workers... in most states, courts are more than willing to give custody of an adopted child back to a parent, parents, or blood relatives, even after a child has been with an adoptive family for up to a year.

So, yes, I can see why this option would be attractive to some people. Good medical plans will probably cover it (they never cover adoption, obviously), and despite the medical difficulties, it will overall be simpler and easier than going through the unbearable legal hurdles that adoption entails.

16,000 or $16 Britneys?

[Brazilian Geek]

An AC made a joke about this and got modded down but I thought it was funny and brings up an intresting anime/huxley-esque idea, making copies of girls/guys for 'recreational' purposes? Genetical engeneering in the future will allow fine manipulation of genes to enhance/reduce or enable/disable certain natural functions and adding natural immunity to viruses/bacterias thusly creating perfect sex toys.

I just need to make clear that this is a VERY disturbing idea for most people, fortunately I'm not one of them since I happen to think that this will happen one day (`a la' "6th Day"), want itor not - it will happen.

Well, there goes my karma but if we're playing God to make wheat and soy beans grow healthier why not play God to make enough Britneys to go around? :)

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All browsers' default homepage should read: Don't Panic...

scary stuff

[joq]

Sadly I can only see the downsides to this than any upsides for a baby factory. So what's going to happen? What purpose would this actually serve is society? Sure many people who can't have kids would stand to gain a child, but at the same time I think of all those kids who are abandoned, left in foster homes, killed, etc., and I cant come to a logical conclusion for this.

Now if I were in the military, sure maybe I'd look into making my own "Dark Angel" like kids, but when I think of the ethics behind it all I say it stinks.

Odd title

[pubudu]

When I first read the title for this ("Making Babies on the Assembly Line"), I thought that I'd have to get a job at that factory, or at least buy their products (a happy worker is a good worker...). Then I read the article.

Damn.

WHat about 'natural' babies?

[SIGFPE]

Is it ethical for parents to have children 'naturally'? Surely they deprive potential adoptees of adoption. If not, then why is it different from factory line babies in the sense you raise?
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Needs artifical wombs to be scary...

[khym]

Something like this would need artificial wombs to reach A Brave New World levels of scariness, since without artificial wombs you still need a woman who's willing to carry the embryo/fetus for 9 months, with all that entails. And if you had artificial wombs, you could do all sorts of scary stuff even without a chip like this, it would just be a little harder...

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose that you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.

Gather 'round the Campfire kids......

[bitva]

You kids have it easy these days. When I was your age I had to walk to school uphill both ways and have sex to keep the human race alive. Now you just wait for a blue light special at K-mart, shell out $29.99 and you're a father.

I can't wait to tell that one.