The art of medicine: Designer babies: choosing our children's genes

In 2003, Avshalom Caspi and colleagues reported in Science that a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene may be associated with a predisposition towards depression. If the traits sought were ones that could reasonably be thought to benefit the chitd,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Lancet (British edition) Vol. 372; no. 9646; p. 1294
Main Author Steinbock, Bonnie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Elsevier Limited 11.10.2008
Subjects
Design
Embryos
Parents & parenting
Reproductive technologies
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Summary:In 2003, Avshalom Caspi and colleagues reported in Science that a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene may be associated with a predisposition towards depression. If the traits sought were ones that could reasonably be thought to benefit the chitd, whatever path the child might choose, traits that would help a person flourish, traits that good parents would want to instil in their children anyway, such as kindness, generosity, compassion, or creativity, it is hard to see why choosing such traits, by genetic or conventional means, would be hyper-parenting.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X