Cost
One of the major concerns of creating designer babies is that it would give an unfair advantage to the rich who can afford such technology. Dr. Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, believes this is one the main issues with designer babies. Dr. Caplan says, "You are going to have the rich using these technologies, and that's going to advantage them further. It's not going be something the poor get to do."
The graph above gives an estimate for the cost of various treatments associated with designer babies. While treatment costs vary depending on the doctor and clinic, the average cost of In Vitro Fertilization is $8,158, with $3,000 to $5,000 of add-ons for medication. The average cost of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis is $3,550. Gender Selection may cost as much as $18,000 according to current estimates. Even simple genetic tests can cost over $200.
If the wealthy could make ideal children who were more beautiful, intelligent, creative, and athletic than the children of their middle class counterparts, it would widen an already existing gap that separates these children and the opportunities they have. This unfair advantage goes against all American philosophical ideals of equality and equal opportunity to "climb the social ladder."
Some people says that designer babies would better our society, but in reality, it would better the rich and leave the rest of us in the dust.
The graph above gives an estimate for the cost of various treatments associated with designer babies. While treatment costs vary depending on the doctor and clinic, the average cost of In Vitro Fertilization is $8,158, with $3,000 to $5,000 of add-ons for medication. The average cost of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis is $3,550. Gender Selection may cost as much as $18,000 according to current estimates. Even simple genetic tests can cost over $200.
If the wealthy could make ideal children who were more beautiful, intelligent, creative, and athletic than the children of their middle class counterparts, it would widen an already existing gap that separates these children and the opportunities they have. This unfair advantage goes against all American philosophical ideals of equality and equal opportunity to "climb the social ladder."
Some people says that designer babies would better our society, but in reality, it would better the rich and leave the rest of us in the dust.