Laws and Legislation Regarding Designer Babies
One reason many of the problems associated with designer babies are coming to light is the lack of restrictive law and legislation in many countries.
Even in countries that do have laws or restrictions, they are often ignored so that genetic engineering and the creation of designer babies can continue illegally in the back rooms of fertility clinics. For this problem to be eradicated, not only do governments need to enact these laws, they need to enforce them.
The United States does not have inclusive laws regarding PGD and sex selection. Although is is illegal to genetically engineer a human, processes such as PGD, that do not require modification of actual DNA are relatively unregulated.
Laws in Great Britain are much more restrictive. Their laws state:
1. Parents can only use sex selection if their is a large risk that a gender-related genetic disorder, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or Fragile-X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), could be passed on to the baby.
2. Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis IS legal for medical reasons only.
3. It is illegal to genetically engineer humans, but it is legal to genetically engineer mice, sheep, cows, pigs, and goats in order to test processes such as germ-line therapies.
Great Britain has also created the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which has the power to license clinics and regulate research. The United States needs to take a page out of Great Britain's book and enact similar laws before the creation of designer babies becomes prominent.
The United States does not have inclusive laws regarding PGD and sex selection. Although is is illegal to genetically engineer a human, processes such as PGD, that do not require modification of actual DNA are relatively unregulated.
Laws in Great Britain are much more restrictive. Their laws state:
1. Parents can only use sex selection if their is a large risk that a gender-related genetic disorder, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or Fragile-X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), could be passed on to the baby.
2. Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis IS legal for medical reasons only.
3. It is illegal to genetically engineer humans, but it is legal to genetically engineer mice, sheep, cows, pigs, and goats in order to test processes such as germ-line therapies.
Great Britain has also created the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which has the power to license clinics and regulate research. The United States needs to take a page out of Great Britain's book and enact similar laws before the creation of designer babies becomes prominent.