Designer Babies: No Longer Science-Fiction

 

	designer baby:
	an infant created by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization in order to ensure the absence or presence of a particular gene or characteristic

The trend of designer babies is a fascinating, yet horrifying. I believe that getting one's eggs/sperm screened for genetic disorders or diseases before implanting them into the mother is a reasonable decision that will save the child's parents' time and money in the future. However, I believe that altering the eye or hair colour of a child who has no say in the decision is wrong.

If a couple knows that one, or both, of them have a genetic disorder that could possibly be passed down to their child, I believe that it's reasonable for them to consider having their sperm/eggs screened in order to prevent their child from suffering. No parent would ever want their child to suffer, especially if they know that they could've prevented it. Having their gametes screened doesn't harm anyone, but rather helps many people, such as doctors, the child as well as the parents. Overall, I believe that if a 'designer baby' is a result of preventing the passing down of genetic disorders, I'm all for it.

On the other hand, I believe that making genetic alterations to an unborn baby is completely wrong. First off, genetically altering an embryo or sperm to one's liking is something that has yet to studied. After all, not long ago, genetically altering your child was only thought of as science fiction. For all we know, artificially changing genes could cause major problems to the child down the road. Secondly, just because you don't like certain physical characteristics about yourself and fear that they may be passed down to your offspring, doesn't mean that they won't like those features. If your child doesn't like their eye colour, they can wear contact lenses, if they don't like their hair colour, they can dye their hair. What I'm trying to say is that rather than permanently changing your child's features and spending your life savings doing so, think of all the alternatives to it, such as hair dye and contact lenses as they'll cost you much less money and possibly regret. Finally, it's not up to us to decide the physical appearance of our child, it's up to God. We're all created in our own unique way through Him, and He created us in that same manner. Why would you change something about yourself that's in another person, when it might just be the quality that makes them unique?

References:
Definition of Designer Baby
Source 2: Debating 'Designer Babies
Source 3: Designer Babies - Like It or Not, Here They Come
Source 4: Screening Could Create 'Designer Babies'

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Oil in the Arctic

The Arctic is a very diverse place. In fact, a quarter of the world's Arctic land and waters are found right here in Canada. It is rich in petroleum as well as many metals, such as gold, silver and lead. Canada is also home to about 70% of the world's polar bear population. Sadly, due to the melting polar ice caps and tundra, many of the inhabitants of the Arctic, such as the polar bear, will soon be left homeless due to global warming. However, the World Wildlife Fund is doing it's best to conserve this diverse land.

The World Wildlife Fund is an organization that works towards conserving the world's biological diversity, ensures that the use of renewable, natural resources is sustainable and promotes the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. In fact, the World Wildlife Fund has already succeeded in many of their projects around the world, such as the 'Bowhead Whale Sanctuary' in Nunavut.

The World Wildlife Fund has many concerns about the Arctic, but one of their main ones is the fact that the Arctic holds about a quarter of the world's remaining petroleum reserves and that in a few years, oil companies will start drilling in the ecologically-sensitive Beaufort Sea. This is a concern, not only because there's a risk of an oil spill to occur, but as well as the fact that if an oil spill were to occur, the harsh conditions of the Beaufort Sea would make it difficult for emergency response crews to make any impact. As well, there no known solutions to cleaning up oil in ice-covered waters.

Thankfully, the World Wildlife Fund is partnering up with responsible industry leaders to show how this development can occur while benefiting local communities and respecting the integrity of the Arctic before the drilling occurs to ensure that if complications do arise, there will be solutions. The WWF is calling for a consistent set of regulations to protect the environment, as well as the surrounding communities and other marine companies. The regulations must address the gap if there were to be an oil spill. The WWF also testifies before many groups, to inform them about their view on this situation. 

Overall, the World Wildlife Fund is working to preserve the Arctic before any oil is drilled, showing their concern and passion for the environment.

References:

Source 1: Successes of the WWF

Source 2: About the WWF

Source 3: Brief Summary of the WWF's Work in the Arctic

Source 4: The WWF on Oil in the Arctic

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