Designer Babies - What Would You Do For A 'Healthy' Baby?

Parents and Babies

The well-educated are significantly more open to the idea of "designing" babies than the poorly educated, according to a new study by psychologists at the University of East Anglia.

The findings will be presented by Dr. Simon Hampton at the BA Festival of Science on Setpember 5.

Dr. Hampton and his team at UEA's School of Social Work and Psychosocial Studies examined what different groups of people in the UK would "design into" their children given the opportunity.

The evidence suggests that there are gender, age and socio-economic class differences in what is deemed desirable and that many prospective parents would be prepared to manipulate their babies in ways that are at odds with moral orthodoxy.

"People assume that the very notion of designer babies stems from the desire of prospective parents for their children to be healthy," said Dr. Hampton.

"However, the picture is complicated by the shifting meaning of 'healthy' and confusion about when the manipulation of children's physical, psychological or social characteristics is legitimate, natural or ethical."

We are often presented with information and speculation about what reproductive technologies might achieve in the future and with various ethical dilemmas. This new research is among the first to investigate the thoughts and feelings of ordinary prospective parents.

The results of a series of surveys of 100-200 participants included:

• The better educated prospective parents are, the further they are prepared to go to improve their children's IQ.
• Women interpret certain interventions in child rearing as "design acts" more readily than men.

• People over 50 interpret certain interventions as "design acts" more readily than people under 25.

• Because of "parental uncertainty" - the idea than women know for certain if a child is their's whereas men do not