1st Baby Born Cancer Free

Published

Specializes in Geriatrics.

So I saw this on the news the other day and was surprised no one mentioned it here.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1110244/Britains-cancer-free-designer-baby-born-screened-deadly-gene.html

I'm not sure how I feel about "designer babies". Yes, in some cases, (like severe birth defects) it may be in the best interest of the child to know about medical problems, in advance, so parents and Dr.'s will be aware of potential problems and therefore be able to provide the specialized care the child may need. But I am disturbed by the thought of aborting a child because he/she "may, someday" develop a problem.

What will be next?? Manditory testing to ensure insurance companies that all thier clients are 100% healthy?? Refusal to insure or raising the premiums on people who have "bad genes"??

Just my :twocents:, but, I just don't know if this is right. I guess time will tell.

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1st baby born *breast* cancer free

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As a woman who has seen several relatives die of breast cancer, I am thrilled with this new development in technology. I think this should be limited to true "problem" genes, like a certain type of cancer or adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD); this shouldn't be used for hair color, IQ, etc. This is an amazing advancement!

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Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

The headline is misleading. This baby is not "cancer-proof." She was genetically manipulated to be born without the breast cancer gene, but could develop some other cancer down the line, and, for that matter, could develop a type of breast cancer that isn't dependent on the BRCA1 gene.

Fact is, congenital cancer is exceedingly rare, so almost all babies are born "cancer free."

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i think it is good, if they keep a child from having to go through that. But i agree about the whole eye color, brains type stuff.

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i guess that every advancement has an option for being negative as well as postive

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Specializes in ICU.

I was sitting in my car getting ready to go in to work when I heard this news story. I had this weird feeling that OVERWHELMED me,, it felt like I was thrust into the future, some sort of sci fi day dream fantasy feeling, hard to explain. This feeling was swimming around in my head,,,,

---(insert sci fi thriller music soundrack)---

The government is in total control of everyone's lives. They control where you work, what your career is, who you marry, and where you live. When you decide to have children, the government must agree and you go into a hospital where everyone is wearing white and the building has a look of sterility. You and your spouse must submit eggs and sperm to be examined and fertilized by specialists who work for the government. And this is not unusual because EVERYONE works for the government, and everyone works for the cause to better the human race, to eradicate cancer and diseases. The government even goes as far as to pick the gender of your child, because, afterall, we must have an equal amount of males and females. We're all flying around in electric flying cars that are recharged by hooking them up to the futuristic powerful solar panels that power your home..........

Yes, I really got this feeling. Then I looked down at my cell phone as it rang, realizing that we ARE in the future. Fifteen years ago, I would have never imagined that my cell phone in 2009 would have more processing power than my desk top PC in 1994.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I'm philosophically opposed to genetic manipulation of humans. It's nothing more than eugenics.

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I'm wondering what abnormalities the other three were discarded for.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
I was sitting in my car getting ready to go in to work when I heard this news story. I had this weird feeling that OVERWHELMED me,, it felt like I was thrust into the future, some sort of sci fi day dream fantasy feeling, hard to explain. This feeling was swimming around in my head,,,,

---(insert sci fi thriller music soundrack)---

The government is in total control of everyone's lives. They control where you work, what your career is, who you marry, and where you live. When you decide to have children, the government must agree and you go into a hospital where everyone is wearing white and the building has a look of sterility. You and your spouse must submit eggs and sperm to be examined and fertilized by specialists who work for the government. And this is not unusual because EVERYONE works for the government, and everyone works for the cause to better the human race, to eradicate cancer and diseases. The government even goes as far as to pick the gender of your child, because, afterall, we must have an equal amount of males and females. We're all flying around in electric flying cars that are recharged by hooking them up to the futuristic powerful solar panels that power your home..........

Yes, I really got this feeling. Then I looked down at my cell phone as it rang, realizing that we ARE in the future. Fifteen years ago, I would have never imagined that my cell phone in 2009 would have more processing power than my desk top PC in 1994.

OMG!!! I started laughting so hard my dogs ran out of the room! When I was in High School, our school computer took up a room the size of my house. I never thought (or even considered) that I would one day be sitting in my livingroom with a computer on my lap!

I guess you "feeling" is and has been my fear.

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Specializes in -1.

Gattaca is here!

So how much longer until The Matrix is?

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Specializes in ICU.
Gattaca is here!

So how much longer until The Matrix is?

lol

at this rate, in less than 100 years. If you think about it,,,, microprocessors are more than doubling in size every year,, eventually they will be so powerful that they will be reproducing themselves... and then... we have I. Robot.

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