Genetically Engineering Babies a Moral Obligation, Says Ethicist

Hugh Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that Oxford Professor Julian Savulescu, an expert in practical ethics, says that creating so-called designer babies could be considered a 'moral obligation' as it makes them grow up into 'ethically better children' and that we should actively give parents the choice to screen out personality flaws in their children such as potential alcoholism, psychopathy and disposition to violence as it means they will then be less likely to harm themselves and others. 'Surely trying to ensure that your children have the best, or a good enough, opportunity for a great life is responsible parenting?' writes Savulescu, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics. 'So where genetic selection aims to bring out a trait that clearly benefits an individual and society, we should allow parents the choice. To do otherwise is to consign those who come after us to the ball and chain of our squeamishness and irrationality.' Savulescu says that we already routinely screen embryos and fetuses for conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Down's syndrome and couples can test embryos for inherited bowel and breast cancer genes. 'Whether we like it or not, the future of humanity is in our hands now. Rather than fearing genetics, we should embrace it. We can do better than chance.'"

Comments

Re:Ethics

[blahplusplus]

"Can we turn any slashdot topic into an anti-rich diatribe"?

The idea that rich people historically came into existence by merit and not by legal exploitation and a cubic fuck-tonne of wars and violence is a myth. The legal foundations of a society are backed by guns and violence and anyone who thinks the current system is not exploitive and rigged in some sense is a moron, the whole legal framework is setup to deny economic rights to the majority through historical enclosure movements which to enable the new legal framework requires massive violence and unrest. So to talk negatively of the rich is the historically LITERATE thing to do.

Enclosure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure

Bail outs (priviledges of the elite) see here:

http://dailybail.com/home/there-are-no-words-to-describe-the-following-part-ii.html

and here:

http://dailybail.com/

Re:Eugenecist Plays God Again

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

They Tell Us That
We Lost Our Tails
Evolving Up
From Little Snails
I Say It's All
Just Wind In Sails
Are We Not Men?