Syllabus Areas:

GS III - S & T

Steven Pinker, Harvard cognitive psychologist, revisited his 2003 prediction that parents would not pursue IQ-enhanced gene-edited babies.

  • He now observes that while direct gene-editing is banned, parents are informally pursuing “designer babies” through embryo selection in IVF/ART.
  • This highlights a shift: From editing genes → to choosing embryos with desirable genetic profiles.

What Are “Designer Babies”?

  • Babies whose genetic characteristics (traits) are selected or potentially modified before birth.
  • Aim: producing offspring with traits deemed “desirable” (medical or non-medical).

How Designer Babies Are Currently Made (Legally)

A. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

  • Used in IVF clinics.
  • Embryos created via IVF are screened for:
    • Genetic disorders
    • Chromosomal abnormalities
    • Polygenic scores (for traits influenced by multiple genes)
  • Parents choose embryos with:
    • Lowest risk of disease
    • Sometimes, traits associated with higher success (e.g., IQ)

B. Process

  1. Harvest 15+ eggs via hormone stimulation.
  2. Fertilize with chosen sperm; wait 4–5 days.
  3. Embryo reaches the blastocyst stage.
  4. Few cells extracted for genetic analysis.
  5. Polygenic score generated for various traits.
  6. Parents select the “best-fit” embryo for implantation.

C. Reality Check

  • This is selection, not modification.
  • Still constitutes a form of "designing" since it allows trait-based choices.

Gene Editing & CRISPR: The Hypothetical Frontier

  • CRISPR-Cas9: theoretical ability to directly modify genes in embryos.
  • Could enhance or suppress traits such as:
    • IQ
    • Height
    • Physical features
  • But currently not feasible because:
    • CRISPR edits one gene at a time.
    • Most traits (IQ, height) are polygenic (involving dozens/hundreds of genes).
  • Reproductive gene editing is banned globally.

The Ethical Debate

A. Parental Autonomy Argument

  • Parents already make wide-ranging choices affecting children’s futures:
    • Education
    • Diet
    • Values
    • Medical treatment
  • Genetic selection can be seen as:
    • An extension of parental responsibility
    • A form of care (choosing a disease-free or potentially more successful future)

B. Reproductive Freedom Argument

  • Parents should have freedom over reproductive decisions.
  • As long as no harm is caused, selecting traits may be permissible.
  • Even if society finds some traits inappropriate (eye color, height), autonomy shouldn’t be dismissed.

Concerns & Criticisms

A. Slippery Slope to Eugenics?

  • Fear of reviving eugenics (historical attempts to breed “superior humans” based on race/heredity).
  • Modern genetic databases could unintentionally enable selection pressure for “preferred” traits.
  • Behavioral or IQ-based embryo screening may echo past discriminatory ideologies.

B. Social Pressure on Parents

  • Genetic screening is socially shaped.
  • If society values certain traits (IQ, beauty), parents may feel compelled to choose those traits.
  • Reproductive choice may morph into reproductive coercion.

Current Scientific & Market Reality

  • Polygenic risk scores now include non-medical predictions (e.g., IQ, appearance).
  • Companies already advertise embryo IQ prediction to clients (per Quillette).
  • Legality varies:
    • USA: Non-medical trait selection is federally banned but private clinics sometimes operate in grey areas.
    • Global norm: Disease-selection acceptable; non-medical selection frowned upon.

Regulation & the Way Forward

  • Central question: Where to draw the line?
  • No ethical objection to screening for serious hereditary diseases.
  • But non-medical trait selection raises:
    • Societal fairness issues
    • Equity concerns
    • Risk of commodifying children
  • Regulation must:
    • Govern clinics and genetic screening companies
    • Protect parental autonomy without enabling a new market-driven eugenics
    • Ensure scientific integrity and prevent misuse
designer-babies

Prelims Question:

1. Consider the following statements regarding “designer babies”:
  1. The term refers exclusively to babies whose genes have been edited using tools like CRISPR-Cas9.
  2. Embryo selection using Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is one pathway through which “designer babies” may be created.
  3. Polygenic traits such as height and IQ cannot be assessed at all in embryos.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1 and 3 only
2. With reference to CRISPR-Cas9, consider the following statements:
  1. CRISPR-Cas9 currently allows simultaneous editing of multiple genes controlling complex human traits.
  2. Most non-medical traits that attract public interest (e.g., IQ, personality) are polygenic.
  3. Reproductive gene-editing in embryos is banned in many jurisdictions globally.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
  1. 2 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3 only
3.Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), often discussed in the context of “designer babies,” is primarily used for:
  1. Altering harmful genetic mutations before implantation.
  2. Screening embryos for genetic disorders before implantation.
  3. Enhancing embryo traits such as intelligence or height.
  4. Ensuring gender-balanced embryo selection.
4.Consider the following practices:
  1. Selecting embryos to avoid Huntington’s disease.
  2. Selecting embryos with higher predicted IQ.
  3. Editing embryos to remove BRCA-1 mutation.
  4. Selecting embryos based on eye colour preference.
Which of the above practices is/are widely considered ethically acceptable in current global bioethics?
  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. 1, 2 and 4 only