A designer baby is a baby that has been genetically engineered in vitro to have or not have certain traits. For example, individuals may choose to remove disease-associated genes and/or select a child’s gender. Essentially, parents are able to pick and choose which traits they want their kids to have and which ones they don’t want them to have.
Your task for this assignment is to write a 600-800 word essay on designer babies, the current status of associated procedures and technologies, any ethical issues regarding designer babies, and whether you feel the practices are ethical and why or why not. Be sure to use and cite reputable sources of information. Cite your sources of information using APA format both in-text and in your reference section at the end of your essay. I do not want unorganized and/or uninformed rants. I am looking for you to first explore the topic OBJECTIVELLY and then develop your opinions based on the information found. In your discussion of your opinion, be sure to keep it organized and focus on 2 – 4 key points. I strongly encourage you to tie in other topics to support your opinions as needed.
I will not be grading you on whether I agree with your conclusions. You will be graded based on (1) general composition and grammar (i.e., sentence structure and flow, punctuation, spelling), (2) how well you present and discuss the information you found, (3) how well you support and substantiate your conclusions using the you collected, (4) the validity of your sources, and (5) following APA formatting. Refer to the grading rubric for specific grading criteria. Be sure to paraphrase; using quotations is plagiarism. Make sure you use valid and reputable scientific sources (i.e., primary literature, governmental and university websites, research organization websites, etc.).
