But what becomes of the participants and the children? Will only those families who can afford thousands and thousands of dollars wind up with "superior" offspring? Will preference for boys in carrying on the family heritage create an imbalanced population as in China and India, where there now is a shortage of girls? And even if IVF costs are reduced, what becomes of those families not choosing artificial means of procreating? Will their offspring who are not the brightest and the prettiest unduly suffer?
From ultrasound, to amniocentesis, to IVF, to embryo transplantation, to genetic testing to gender selection techniques there is a consistent and continuous pattern of scientific ingenuity enhanced by better and more improved technologies. And there is no indication that such momentum is slowing down. As such, speculation exists that it may become possible in the not too distant future for parents to "design" a variety of features of their potential children. But what does this say about ethical standards? How will this impact human behavior? And at what cost will society ultimately pay?
Copyright ©2006 Diane M. Grassi
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Diane M. Grassi is an investigative journalist and reporter providing topical and in-depth articles and analysis on U.S. public policy and governmental affairs, including key federal and state legislation as well as court decisions relative to the (
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