Under what circumastances should parents be allowed to genetically manipulate their offspring?
139079
to avoid a disease or other medical condition.
1103874
Yes- when a parent allows a child to become obese s/he is causing physical and psychological damage to that child. Sounds like abuse to me. I'm disgusted by any parent who's willing to take 20 years off their child's life and doom her to "fat-girl" taunts just because burgers are yummy, cheap and easy. \n\nThat said, if it WAS viewed as abuse by the powers that be it would be impossible to enforce. Kids come in so many shapes and sizes and sometimes it doesn't mean anything. A child who is fed nothing but cheetos can be quite svelte due to a quick metabolism or active lifestyle. By the same token there can be children like my sister and I. We were born two years apart to hippie parents. We were both fed organic salads, whole wheat bread and never any refined sugars. Our parents were extra careful with our diets- and yet at the ages fo 10 and 8 respectively, I was thin and she was fat. Now that we're adults we have similar, healthy figures, but she just held on to her "baby fat" longer than most. \n\nSo yeah- it is abuse but it would be too hard to enforce it as such since kids are so variable.
715961
If this is a single-gene trait (which your problem assumes) for which the disease is the recessive trait, and everyone else is healthy, both parents must be Cc, since that is the only way they could possibly not have the trait but be able to pass it on.
424488
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Let's treat the disease and not the symptoms for ONCE! Our society is composed of adults who are the product, more or less, of how they were raised. Proper parenting is the only way to create a lasting change in the society that will, in 20 years, be largely composed of the children of today. It goes further than abuse, though. It goes into teaching them accountability, responsibility, work ethic, independence, forming healthy relationships, financial responsibility... the list goes on. Thank you for bringing this up!
1130222
Raise their children in a stable healthy environment with strong morals and a good education.  And everyone else should use birth control.
544109
Some bad assumptions here.  There is no such thing as a wrongful birth, at least by what is implied in the sub statement.  Any birth results in a child unable to care for itself.  The duty is of the parents to provide for it. If the state determines the parents are irresponsible, then the state assumes the duty.  Otherwise, the parents may try to get another to assume the duty of raising the child through adoption.  But, regardless of the law, the logical connection between the act of reproduction and a birth leads directing to the duty of seeing the child is cared for. \n\nPlaying philosophical games with child care responsibility leaves some adults confused on what is right and wrong and thus results in unnecessary problems for children and society.
924537
Heck no!\n\nParents aren't parenting well if that's the case.\n\nJust do the right thing and ignore the parents in this case.
194210
I would much rather have control over what happens to me - why let someone else's "perspective" make you do things that probably won't work for *you,* right?\n\nIf I had children, I would make sure I stress maintaining that ability I've provided them: to think for themselves.
243414
NO! Think about it! How would someone manipulating an infant's spine help with this?? It just doesn't begin to make sense. I would never let someone manipulate my kid's spine for ANY reason. Ask any chiropractor who offers you this some RESEARCH and CLINICAL EVIDENCE (randomized trials) for this. Then ask  your doctor. It is NOT safe for kids to have their backs manipulated! Have you tried working on your child's diet??
68887
There should be an unconditional love between parents to children, (from the prior to the later ones). This will put the seeds of self-respect and other values (like respecting others, enjoying art (yes art is a matter of love in my humble opinion), in brief enjoying life and giving it the value it deserves in the children. I completely agree with Beatles in this matter..."all we need is love". I guess there is no need to add that my answer is not the concise and the final answer...
176786
You are asking a very important question, may I acknowledge firstly. Secondly, no one can answer this question with absolute neutrality, since there are several ethical implications regarding gene therapy. What is written is solely my viewpoint, as someone who is in science.\n\nGene therapy is a very innovative, very powerful means to identifying and curing long known chronic illnesses such as cancer. It involves alterations at the molecular level, and this is where the ethical implications come. Whether God should be the one responsible for these changes, evolution or scientists is another question. But the truth is, it can work and probably proves the ultimate therapeutic method. It   is still being worked on and of course there have not been any human clinical trials (as far as I know). But as long as the proper precautions are taken, which I believe will of course be the case since cutting edge research is what is involved, I see it to be the future scientific tool to curing several diseases and do not at all see any bad sides to it. This is without considering the occupational hazards, which every field, medicine, for example has. Whether the hazards are on a different level from that of other fields and what this can implicate is also another question. But you did not as that! Hmmm...
432727
I think you have to get permission from the baby first...I could be wrong...don't quote me on that.\n\n\nYESYESYES!!!!!
721873
THAT PRETTY LAME IF YOU ASK ME.GENETICS AND GENES AND CHROMOSONES ARE THE CONSTANT ENVIRONMENTMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY OR MAYBE FRIENDLY COMPONETS THAT DESIGN A HUMAN BABY. HOW THE CHILD WILL APPEAR LIKE HAIR COLOR SEX EYE COLOR AND IF THEY CAN HEAR OR SEE ARE ALL GENETICALLY INSPIRED.IF YOUR A MALE TAKE A LOOK AT YOU OWN MOM AND HER DAD.IF YIUR FEMALE LOOK AT YOUR DAD AND HIS MOM.DNA WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YO AND IDEA WHAT YOU WILL APPEAR WHEN YOUR OLDER.
384508
Parental or guardian consent should be required for treatment in in all but emergency situations. This absolutely should include abortions. Most minors are not capable of making informed, mature decisions about medical care - I'm sure some are, but the vast majority are not. Minors are not 'entitled' to keep any medical situation from their parents.
1122207
Whaaaaaa ?? I think people should have a license to breed; perhaps they'd be less indiscriminate. Love is not, however, something that can necessarily be controlled or mandated.
195654
I think it depends on what kind of mental handicap the parents have. Unless they are mature enough and can handle the responsibilities of being a parent then no - they shouldn't be able to raise children. But that should go for any parents...
582215
The term "designer baby" has been used in popular scientific and bioethics literature to specify a child whose hereditary makeup (genotype) can be, using various reproductive and genetic technologies, purposefully selected ("designed") by their parents.\n\nThe term is usually used with derision, although some social theorists (most notably transhumanist thinkers) not only consider the notion of a designer baby to be a responsible and justifiable application of parental reproductive rights but also an important next step in human evolution.\n\nSome advocates argue that designing babies could be used to great affect to improve the human condition. For example, vitamin C deficiency is a serious desease that has caused the death of many thousands, and affected the health of many millions more. This only happens because, unlike almost all other animals, humans lack the required gene to synthesis vitamin C in the body (only primates and guinea pigs lack the gene). Thus, it has been hypothosized (by Linus Pauling) that if the gene were to be replaced in humans, health would greatly improve, and ease the strain on the medical profession.