Though stem cell research is promising for saving lives, it also poses a scary thought:
choose you child... hair color, eyes, height, qualities.

What's your take? good or bad?

I suppose. But it would take the random nature of reproduction out of natural selection, referring to the formation of the synaptonemic complex and the process of crossing over during meiosis I. If you manipulated the genes to remove imperfections, the random nature of populational genetics would be corrupted. Not to sound rotten, but it is good to have a certain number of infantile deaths in the population. It renews the gene pool. Most if not all people would certainly want a "perfect" child free of disease. Perhaps some would want to shape them in their image, perhaps some would wnat variation; most i think would want their children to be "beautiful". I apologize if some of that sounded a little iffy, ive been on here for a while now. lol

mindi isn't talking about cloning and shame on all of you for not noticing that. She did mislabel what she's talking about and mixed up two very different subjects. Genetic engineering and stem cell research.

quote:

People will think of clones as less than human

actually it's more likely that the modded children who will be physically and intellectually superior to God Children (genetic gambles done the old way) will become the upper crust of society and look down on us (see GATTACA for more on this)
and as to genetic mods, it can have serious benefit. I'd know I'd like to live to 200 and have a pair of wings. That's the type of thing genetic engineering can provide. As to moding children in the womb instead of rolling the genetic dice. I can see serious benefit here to. Imagine all diseases like autism and BP wiped out, other genetic diseases like alzheimers? knocked out right at the starting gate. With improved immune response a child wouldn't even need to have the chicken pox vaccine.

Note to SM007: there is still variation, everyone has a different idea of what they want in a child. In fact it may produce greater variation as genes that wouldn't pass on in nature or would do a gennie (generation) skip would come up earlier

Variation is necessary for the survival of a population. If we start manufacturing children, we'll only bring a speedier end to ourselves as a species. PERIOD dont argue. read a bio textbook.

No way is cloning right. If we just start manufacturing people, we'll be making a whole new way to make others victims of prejudice. People will think of clones as less than human, and thay'll probably be subjected to all kinds of abuse. Also, since people will be able to just pick any kind of kid they want, children will be more like robots than people. I mean, why raise a child who will grow up exactly as you decided they would be when they were born? No surprises or epiphanies at all. Just a little copy of what the parents consider 'the ideal child'. It just seems wrong. Humans have no right to mess with genes. Only God has the wisdom and responsibility that it takes to handle that kind of power.
And finally, when people start to manufacture their own children, rascist scientists may deliberately start making children of certain races or religions with diseases or birth defects.

You are right it would be awkward if scientists just started cloning people and everyone looked alike. Stem Cell research is promising thoough in finding cures and I support it personaly. I feel though we should set rules so it does not get out of control. Stem Cell reasearch will save a lot of lives if it is given the funding and chances it needs.


Fact: Some people thought Vladimir Lenin was such a good leader that some Russians saved his body in hopes of bringing him back to life in the future. You can see him today in a lifelike state in the Lenin Moselithem.