Designer Babies 902
Singularity Hub writes "The Fertility Institutes recently stunned the fertility community by being the first company to boldly offer couples the opportunity to screen their embryos not only for diseases and gender, but also for completely benign characteristics such as eye color, hair color, and complexion. The Fertility Institutes proudly claims this is just the tip of the iceberg, and plans to offer almost any conceivable customization as science makes them available. Even as couples from across the globe are flocking in droves to pay the company their life's savings for a custom baby, opponents are vilifying the company for shattering moral and ethical boundaries. Like it or not, the era of designer babies is officially here and there is no going back."
Babies are the problem (Score:5, Funny)
"Officially here"? (Score:5, Funny)
I like how the summary says that the "designer baby" era is here despite the fact that, hey, we can't actually customize babies yet.
attitude? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What's the big deal? (Score:3, Funny)
Good point, this is in no way -designer- babies, there's no design, just rejection of the ones you don't like.
When we start being able to specify that our kids have wings or eye lasers, THAT's when things get awesome/scary.
Billion Dollar Baby (Score:3, Funny)
I want mine to look like Alice
Re:Parents choose their baby's name (Score:5, Funny)
Names most definitely CAN play a VERY important role in a child's life.
Re:Parents choose their baby's name (Score:5, Funny)
I'm betting she'd be very popular.
Re:This too was foreseen (Score:5, Funny)
I don't know, it sounds like a good idea to me. We can start with simple things like eye and hair color, and hopefully move on to eliminating the genetics that cause obesity, stupidity, and depression.
Of course stupid obese depressed people are more susceptible to advertising and consumption in general... so when google buys out the fertility clinics, that will be the default selection... and the question to couples seeking fertility help is... well... do you want a baby or not?
We offer you a child with the eye and hair color of your choice at no charge... of course you'll have to accept that he'll buy everything in sight. Your IVF treatment was paid for by advertisers after all... no we don't offer a paid option without the ads.
If you don't like that, talk to Apple... they'll hook you up with one of their models -- of course they only have exactly 3 models, they'll engrave your name on it though; but that's the extent of personalization, they cost a premium, and this year its glossy silver hair on all of them. If you don't like it, tough...
Re:Parents choose their baby's name (Score:2, Funny)
In some countries, it's not uncommon for parents to kill girls that are born to them because they cannot carry on the family name
Shit, that kinda sounds like names are really important.
This has to be Slashdot at it's finest.
because they cannot carry on the family name, so to speak.
Idiocy at its finest.
Re:Life savings? (Score:3, Funny)
I look forward to the ability to remove the ugly, awkward social misfit segment from society.
It's bad news for Slashdots future though.
Ironically it's the awkward social misfits who are the loudest proponents of this. Seems like tech is some sort of religion to them.
"Yes Mr and Mrs Smith, your embryo has all the genes to ensure it will forever be a pseudo-intellectual, who will be quite ugly for their entire life, will never fit into greater society will have a miserable adolescence and although will be exceptionally bright in some very narrow areas, will be forever burdened by the desire to feel superior to everyone around them. Plus they'll constantly use terrible strawman arguments to try to advance social issues of which they have no ability to mentally grapple."
"Oh well, maybe next time, best remove it we certainly don't want a child whose going to be unhappy!"
Convenient way to settle disputes (Score:3, Funny)
My wife and I couldn't come to an agreement on what color to paint the nursery. I wanted red and she wanted green. We got tired of arguing about it, so we finally agreed just to have a red-green color blind kid and tell him the room's purple.
Re:Parents choose their baby's name (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Parents choose their baby's name (Score:2, Funny)
Like that is common here. Sheesh.