Designer Babies - Entering A Brave New World*

Women are currently encouraged to abort children in their wombs who may be less than perfect. Those who may be born with birth defects or illnesses such as Down Syndrome.

Now, doctors at LA Fertility Institutes, who already offer sex selection, are expecting to have their first "trait-selected" baby born next year.

Like aspiring fashion designers, parents can now "design" their own children. I wonder where they'll stick the tag.

The science is based on a lab technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.

This involves testing a cell taken from a very early embryo before it is put into the mother's womb.

Doctors then select an embryo free from rogue genes - or in this case an embryo with the desired physical traits such as blonde hair and blue eyes - to continue the pregnancy, and discard any others.

Dr Steinberg said couples might seek to use the clinic's services for both medical and cosmetic reasons.

At least one UK fertility specialist is speaking out. Dr. Jillian Lockwood has warned against "turning babies into commodities that you buy off the shelf."

You can read the entire article at the BBC News website. A follow up at the WSJ.

So, with abortion on demand, you can kill the ones you don't want. With sex and trait selection, you can "create" the ones you do.

Unfortunately, we are still light years away from designing responsible and morally upright parents.

*You can find Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World at your local library.