Brandon Keim interviews James Hughes in his article, “Designer Babies” that we are reading this week. Hughes believes that parental autonomy has to be held in the highest regard, even if parents are trying to “ design” their babies, selecting for various traits that they prefer. Assuming that there comes a day when it’s possible to select for all sorts of things: smartness, athleticism, hair color, etc., do you think that Hughes is right and that it’s ethical to do this? If you argued two weeks ago that it’s ethical to select against disability, do you have to remain consistent and argue that it’s also ethical to select for your idea of perfection? Or are there other moral considerations you would want to introduce when debating “designer” babies?
