From: GBurch1@aol.com
Date: Fri Dec 01 2000 - 07:00:18 MST
>From The Times of India,
http://www.timesofindia.com/171100/17hlth14.htm
-
Americans uneasy about `designer' kids
NEW YORK: The prospect of expectant parents being able to choose between
fertilized eggs to have a baby who is intelligent, good-looking and talented
leaves most of the US public feeling uncomfortable, results of a new Harris
Poll show.
A poll of 1,015 Americans reveals that although most feel it is okay for
parents to choose to have a child who can ``give cells" to a sick sibling,
they largely oppose allowing parents to choose to have an attractive or
gifted child. Most also feel parents should not choose whether to have a boy
or girl.
The survey was conducted in October, in the wake of a controversial case in
which a couple had a baby through in vitro fertilization in order to create
a stem-cell donor for their dying daughter. The parents chose the embryo
that eventually became their son because genetic tests showed it was free
from disease.
The survey showed that 67% of respondents feel embryo selection is all right
in such a case. However, 72% said parents should not be able to ``choose to
have a child who is good-looking", and two-thirds were against picking a
"gifted" child. Sixty-four percent opposed choosing the sex of a child.
Respondents were split on whether it is acceptable to pick an embryo free of
genetic disease--48% were for it, while 44% opposed it.
Overall, men gave more support than women did to parents' ability to choose
embryos. (Reuters)
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