How Far Should We Go?
There are two ways to look at the ethical dilemmas posed by this new genetic world. One is to say that genetic manipulation of humans is something our species has been doing for millennia; it was old news when Romeo and Juliet were star cross'd. Fathers have arranged marriages; societies have placed strong taboos on breeding between relatives. In the end, how is customizing your child's genetic makeup any different than, say, piano lessons? And since when has it been wrong to want the best for your kids?

Still, the counter-argument has a more visceral point. There is something more than a little unsavory about all this mucking around at the cellular level, especially when we don't wholly know what the consequences of our actions will be. And while taking risks with genetically engineered potatoes is one thing, risking moppets is another.

Ultimately, what makes everyone a squeamish is that genetic screening and manipulation often comes down to abortion. And nowhere does our discomfort with all of this collide more forcefully than in the very small arena of stem cells, cells from the very dawn of an organism's life found only in embryos. At this point, each cell can become anything -- skin, bone, blood -- but during gestation they irrevocably change into the 210 types of cells that make up the human body. In theory you could grow a whole new heart from stem cells, new skin, new insulin-producing cells. A cure for diabetes sounds great, except that a good number of people see "harvesting stem cells" from embryos for research as just a fancy term for abortion. Federal funding for fetal tissue research is currently banned; the issue will be the subject of some emotional congressional debate this summer.

Then there are the worries about privacy issues stemming from the vast DNA bank being set up by the FBI. Not to mention the fear that your genetic information could potentially be used to deny you a job or health care. And the question of just who (if anyone) owns the genetic sequences currently being mapped is still very much up in the air, meaning that it's conceivable that someone could someday collect royalties on your child's pale blue eyes.

from TIME

Hot Genes for Sale?
A website offers eggs--but maybe just for browsing
NOVEMBER 8, 1999

If We Have It, Do We Use It?
Science careers forward, and ethics tries to catch up. Both impose choices that can change our lives
SEPTEMBER 13, 1999

Genetic Screening: Good Eggs, Bad Eggs
Prenatal testing is raising a host of thorny ethical questions
JANUARY 11, 1999

Designer Babies
Parents can now pick a kid's sex and screen for genetic illness. Will they someday select for brains and beauty too?
JANUARY 11, 1999