There's an interesting article about how the US (but not other countries) allows you choose your child's gender. This is done through "preimplantation genetic diagnosis," in which clinics take sperm and eggs, make embryos in lab dishes, and screen them for genetic flaws. Embryos without flaws are implanted in the mother's womb. THe US now allows you to select the sex, but it's easy to imagine when more customizations would be possible.
There will be a time where you can enhance your unborn child's attributes. It will be possible and it scares the hell out of me. I believe that takes a major toll on society and how people view and interact with each other. It's bad enough now when there's an economic gap between the haves and have-nots. Imagine what it will be like when there's an athletic and intelligence gap too.
Other resources that talk about this:
- A good slant on how we're moving towards eugenics is here (Slate)
- Here's a large explanation on the process of "Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis"
- A great book i read last year that intelligently discusses the potential harms of genetic engineering (as well as nanotechnology) is called "Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age" by Bill McKibben
