What are some good 'designer babies' fiction books?

In 'Never Let Me Go', the ethical issue of using clones for organ donation and treating them as less than human is explored. It forces us to consider the morality of creating life for a specific purpose, as is the case with the idea of designer babies. If we start engineering babies for certain traits, where do we draw the line? Are we reducing them to objects rather than living beings with rights?

Yes. Currently, 'designer babies' is mostly a concept within science fiction. While we have some genetic technologies, the idea of fully custom - designing a baby like in science fiction is far from reality due to ethical, legal, and scientific limitations.

The ethical implications are complex. Firstly, there's the question of consent. The baby doesn't have a say in what traits are chosen for them. It's like they are being pre - programmed without their own choice. In science fiction, we often see scenarios where designer babies are created for specific purposes, like being soldiers or super - intelligent workers. This commodifies human life, treating babies as products rather than individuals. Also, it can lead to a widening gap between the rich and the poor. The wealthy might be able to afford to design their perfect babies with all the best traits, while the poor are left with 'natural' and perhaps less 'advantageous' genetics.

One example could be the prevention of genetic diseases. Some designer babies have been successfully created in a way that they don't inherit serious genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis. By using pre - implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), embryos with the faulty genes were screened out, and only healthy embryos were implanted. This has given families hope who are at high risk of passing on such diseases.

In some science fiction, designer babies are shown as a solution to problems. For example, in a post - apocalyptic world, they might be designed to have immunity to certain diseases. However, in other works, they are depicted as a threat. They could grow up to be uncontrollable super - humans. Sometimes, they are used as a tool for the rich to maintain their power by creating a genetically superior class.

One similarity is the focus on genes. In science fiction, 'designer babies' are created by manipulating genes, and in current genetic research, we are constantly studying genes to understand genetic diseases. For example, we can now test for certain genetic mutations in embryos, which is a step towards the science - fiction idea of 'designer babies', but on a much more limited scale.

Another good one is 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?'. The repetitive text is easy for babies to follow along.

'Love You Forever' by Robert Munsch. This book is very touching. It follows a mother's love for her son from his baby days all the way through his life. It's a great fictional story that can evoke strong emotions in parents and also be a simple and loving story for babies to listen to.

'Guess How Much I Love You' by Sam McBratney is also wonderful. It tells the story of a big and little nutbrown hare expressing their love for each other. The tender relationship between the two can be a lovely way to introduce the concept of love to babies through a fictional story.

For a more unique touch, 'Zoe Nightingale' could work well. 'Zoe' is a lively name and 'Nightingale' is associated with beauty and song, which can be used to symbolize something positive in the novel. 'Caleb Storm' is also a good choice. 'Caleb' is a strong, masculine name and 'Storm' implies power and upheaval, fitting for a character who might bring change or chaos in the story.