•  Natural selection: The removal of “weak” traits from the population; typically by disease, predation, or failure to acquire a mate.


• Artificial Selection: The removal of “weak” traits from the population as determined by humans.  

 Clearly no one wants their children to be stupid, physically unhealthy, or emotional inept. Ask any new parent what their aspirations are for their new born and the answer is always the same. We will love them no matter what the outcome. This well meaning statement has always been based on the unfortunate reality that when it came to children – the hand of fate dealt the cards and the parents had no control over the consequences. Tall or Short and Fat or Thin; other than the selection of a “best fit mate”, the physical, mental, and emotional aspect of our children are beyond our control.

Well – maybe not anymore. With the cracking of the genetic code and a clear understanding of the mechanism of gene expression it is possible to identify genetic faults in our offspring before their birth. Such concerns as:  Will the fetus inherit the gene for hemophilia or sickle cell anemia? or Will the child grow into a pituitary dwarf or suffer from schizophrenia later in their lives?  - important question to which the answers have an enormous impact on the child's quality of life. In time, it is very likely that we can intercede to prevent such outcomes by simply “correcting” these genetic errors. “Cheat the hand of fate” – “Defy random chance outcomes”– “Intervene in the will of the Gods”;  by defining the path of heredity that ensures our child has the best “qualities” that our genetic engineers can provide. Is this a good thing? Is it ethical or moral to handpick your child’s genetic blueprint? Do we have the wisdom to second guess what many have accepted as God’s intent? Is the desire of every parent that their child get the very best opportunities going too far when it comes to hand picking their genes? All legitimate questions that will very likely be faced by parents in the not so distant future.

 Most parents do everything in their power to insure the success of their children. We provide them with the best education, the best health care, and numerous other opportunities to increase their chances for happiness and success. Should we not also seek to provide them with the best genes?

Please write a 400-word essay outlining your position on Designing Your Child.

Few debate the benefits of the scientific quest. We all understand the need to advance society through the understanding of the natural world. We have "faith" that science will provide the solutions. However, it is all to common for advancements in science and technology to out-pace our ability to establish ethical and moral guidelines. Consider test-tube babies, cloning, stem cell research, nuclear weapons, and biochemical warfare, to name but a few. The technology is developed, and then humanity is left to grapple with the moral dilemmas that arise. Some would argue that knowledge and technological advancements come with a very high cost.

The cliché “Ignorance is bliss” comes to mind. It is my hopes that this blog site will serve as a tool to promote reflection on the use and misuse of scientific advancements. The topics chosen are intended to be current, relevant, and controversial. Submission Instructions: I urge you to fully express your views using your best writing skills.

• Compose your blog in MS Word, and then use the spel chek optiion to katch the obious grammmar and speling arrors.


• Select "Graphical" as opposed to "Text" when editing the article in Blogmesiter ... it provides more potions for formating and selecting pictures.


• Copy/paste your submission into any of the free, (text - to – speech) software and have it read back to you. This is very beneficial in establishing locations of commas, catching sentence fragments, and excessively long run on sentences. Use Michaels’s voice, he is obviously loaded up with testosterone.


• Proof read and then copy/paste your composition into the blog.


• Finally, click the publish option.

I will not “post” blogs that contain spelling errors. Occasionally, your audience may leave comments. Do not leave their questions unanswered; this sometimes leads to an interesting sequence of written exchanges. It is extremely important to remember that your audience is no longer just the teacher; you are an author for the world.

J. Butler