by Rebecca McCauley Rench

In our culture, we do not dictate who and who cannot have children. We limit government or societal intervention in the way we raise our children short of laws against child abuse and negligence. We, as a society, have decided that these selections and choices are solely the responsibility of the parents as long as they want them. There is no regard for the future impact on society despite the fact that this child will eventually become a voter and member of that society. Even with this lack of intention, some people are smarter than others. Some people are better athletes, or musicians, or CEOs. Life isn’t fair because we do not share all the same experiences or innate attributes that allow us to succeed (or fail). As a society, sometimes we try to make things more fair by re-distributing wealth, providing opportunities for those that are disadvantaged. However, we do not expect those with skills that allow them to succeed to stop succeeding. We encourage them because it makes our society stronger and better as a whole.

However, what if we wanted to be intentional and selective of the genes we passed on to the next generation? What if we wanted to create new genes that might make our children faster, smarter, and more productive members of society? Parents, at least the good ones, want their children’s lives to be better and more fulfilling. This is why parents are willing to sacrifice for their children. We are at the edge of a time in which we will need to make a decision on how this might impact our society. We might not even get a choice in whether it happens unless we choose not to allow immigrants based on their genetic heritage. It seems to me that we should welcome these changes, done in a manner that is safe for the overall genetic pool of the human race. Advances in science that allow us to create a better version of ourselves in the next generation (or even our own if we can teach nanobots or viruses to do the work) is just an extension of the choices we already make in who we mate with and how we raise our children. The goal is to make the next generation better and brighter and we should embrace the opportunity to do so with intent and control. Why stumble blindly through a dark room when you can turn on a light?