Designer babies of the future

[Alex E]

Fundamentally changing someone = Making irreparable changes

Behavioral patterns can be influenced, genes as I am sure you'll know are a hell of a lot harder.

I believe you're talking about altering every single bit of someone's basic behaviour (at least as far as that is set in your genes). This is not what I'm talking about. If people have 'the right to' alter a person's behaviour by changing genes or not is way too subjective for me. Instead, I'd like to look at the consequences.
One is that the child would know its(=his/her of course) parents chose to alter major parts of its personality, which could cause issues in how the child thinks about its own identity, which could very well be traumatic for the child. Another thing is that children will all end up more or less the same, while we are in need of diversity. Not only because it makes the world a more interesting place to live in, but also because we need it to manage the world.*

And once again, you don't know what "fundamentally" means, you don't know what parts of who someone is cause in what we people behave. If you did, you'd have solved the big nature-nurture discussion that has been going on in the scientific world for decades, but somehow I doubt that.

This is a choice made by the individual concerned in an informed manner, gene changes made by parents are not the decision of the recipient having to face those changes.

Yes I know that argument. But if you are born in a certain way, it's already part of how you look! It's not a change! And a change in looks does not have such a large impact as a change in character, not by far.
Besides, I've already said I'm not in favour of some sort of a production plant where 'perfect babies' come out, but you can read my other posts for that.

This is an area I see a possible benefit in (helping medical science), I do however urge caution & I must add again, if you can't foresee the possible consequences, don't take the actions.

I agree, and as I said before, that's what research is for...

What needs to be clarified is the difference between medical issues affecting health, and physical appearance changes for purely cosmetic preferences. I am favour in changing the former but not the latter.

I strongly believe that parents shouldn't be granted the power to make changes on matters of taste or preference.

But why exactly? If you can take away some issues that would embarasse a child for the rest of his life, why is this such a bad thing? (Keep in mind that there is a difference between what's truly embarassing and what's just a minor, subjective imperfection.)


*A theory by futurologist Ray Kurzweil. He says the knowledge we have as mankind currently doubles every 14 months. Our personal information-capacity does not grow nearly as much. Logically, we need to diversify to make good use of all this knowledge.