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By Valli Meenakshi Ramanathan: Subscribe to Valli's RSS feed | August 20, 2012 1:16 PM GMT
Medical ethicist Julian Savulescu has called for creating genetically engineered ethical babies as a "moral obligation," for parents. Savulescu presents his case, citing the attempt as "responsible parenting," and "trying to ensure that your children have the best, or a good enough, opportunity for a great life."
Such practice, notes Savelescu, helps in screening "personality flaws," such as alcoholism, psychopathy and propensity for violence, The Verge reported. Savulescu's views are being published in an upcoming issue of the Reader's Digest.
The academic, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics, explained that we are in the midst of a genetic revolution and though screening for all but a few medical conditions remained illegal it must be welcomed, The Telegraph reported.
"If we have the power to intervene in the nature of our offspring - rather than consigning them to the natural lottery - then we should."
Savelescu, a longtime advocate of genetic engineering for the betterment of the human race, has also called for performance enhancing drugs in sports cited as "artificial moral enhancement," since it is seen playing a vital role in scientific development.
Pointing to routine screening of embryos and fetuses for conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Down's syndrome, Savulescu urged couples to test embryos for inherited bowel and breast cancer genes.
"Rational design is just a natural extension of this," he added.
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