The search for perfection.

John Harris: The only traits it would be morally problematic to induce are those that would be harmful to the individual or to others. It wouldn't be morally problematic if a woman had a boy rather than a girl, or a child with a particular skin or eye colour or high intelligence. No one has a reason to bemoan the birth of such a child. Nor would the child have grounds for complaint. On the other hand, to choose to bring a child with diseases or disabilities into being is morally problematic. A child born permanently deaf, or lame, or blind, or with short life expectancy would surely have grounds for complaint if these characteristics were deliberately chosen. Why then do some people feel that designing children to be healthy, talented or to possess some beneficial feature might be wrong? If it's not wrong for a prospective parent to wish to have a bonny, bouncing brown-haired baby boy, how does it become wrong if we have the technology to grant our wish? The phrase " designer children " has clear negative connotations. The implication is that parents are more concerned with pleasing themselves than with valuing children for their own sake. However, normal sexual reproduction has always had a large element of design in it. Cultures, religions and races that have encouraged their members to marry other members of the same group are all into designer children. If creating a world with less disability and disease seems preferable, then, like me, you will believe in minimising disease and disability and maximising health and good fortune. The principle of procreative autonomy-your right to control your own role in procreation-is embedded in any genuinely democratic culture. The presumption must be in favour of access to assisted reproductive technologies unless you can show good and sufficient reasons not to do so. Tom Shakespeare: It's always entertaining to listen to John. Perhaps less so this time because the world he has in mind wouldn't have me in it. Or my two kids, or my dad. We cannot approach the dilemmas and choices John talks about as though we are merely individual free agents. We have to consider the complex patterns of other people we are involved with. The world is messy and complicated, as are many of the interventions. Genetic screening, surgery, Prozac all have side effects and problems. They seldom do exactly what …