Should we try to make "designer babies"?

Ultrasound has made it possible to peer into the sanctuary of a mother's womb and see the developing foetus moving about in the amniotic fluid. Amniocentesis, whereby a needle is inserted into the womb, and some of the fluid surrounding the baby is withdrawn, is another prenatal test sometimes performed. The fluid can be checked for genetic birth defects in the child. Occasionally one or both of these tests will reveal a foetal abnormality. What happens then?

The answer usually depends on the spiritual faith of the parents. If they believe in the sanctity of human life, from conception to natural death, they will continue with the pregnancy, ensuring that the mother has the best possible physical, emotional and spiritual care, and preparing as well as possible for the birth of their child. If, on the other hand, they believe that the foetus is just a blob of tissue, the likely result will be abortion.

In actual fact, by the fourth week after the egg is fertilized, often before the mother even realizes she is pregnant, traces of all the body organs are present in the embryo. It is only 1/4 inch long, but its face is beginning to take shape. Bulges that will become ears and nose appear.

By the seventh to eighth week of pregnancy, the head can be identified. It contains a developing brain. Amazingly, the tiny heart has already begun to beat. Fingers and toes appear.

By the end of the third month, nails form on the fingers and toes. The bones begin to calcify. The foetus begins to make breathing movements. Skeletal muscles and muscles in the intestines begin to contract and relax, already preparing for life in the outside world. Because the developing child is recognizable as a human baby, abortionists will keep the ultrasound monitor turned away from the mother, as they perform the procedure. If she saw her baby, recognizable as it tries move away from the lethal instruments, she might well change her mind.

In the near future, science may progress to the stage where parents can produce designer offspring. They may be able to choose the sex, hair and eye color, intelligence, athletic ability, and every other feature that will form their child's physical appearance, character and levels of natural abilities. Will this be a beneficial progression? I submit that it will not.

We humans have no right to play God. Choosing a new car is one thing. Wanting to possess a designer child is quite another. The all-wise Creator knows exactly what child will be best fit into each family situation, and He will not give any family a burden with which it cannot cope. The disabled person is no less valuable than the able-bodied. A quick study of the life and contribution of Stephen Hawking will bear out this fact.

Modern technology, such as ultrasound, should inspire in us emotions of wonder and awe. We are now privileged to witness the creative action of God in the very process of creating a new human being. It should definitely not be used to aid in the destruction of His unfinished handwork.

There is great value, beauty, and fascination for all of us in the diversity of people inhabiting our planet. God has been doing a great job designing humans thus far. We should not usurp His undertaking. If we try until eternity, we'll never be able to even approach His talent.