Designer babies

Question:Is it moral to have designer babies? What should be a Christian’s
response to designer babies.

In short, the answer is no, it is not moral, for three main reasons.

Reason 1. A designer baby is done through the process of in-vitro fertilization (http://www.gotquestions.org/in-vitro-fertilization.html). This includes fertilizing several eggs, and discarding the ones with unwanted traits. God teaches us through His word that life begins at conception (http://www.gotquestions.org/life-begin-conception.html). So this means that the unwanted embryos are human beings being destroyed/murdered. Even in the case of in-vitro fertilization without genetic manipulation, “extra” embryos are often frozen for the future just in case the couple decides to have more children later. At this time there are literally hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos (human beings) around the country. Their eventual destination is either adoption through agencies such as Snowflake Embryo Adoption or destruction.

Reason 2. The baby does not belong to the parent. Every human being was created by God (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16) and for God (Colossians 1:16). God also tells us to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride” (Philippians 2:3) and that “whatever we do” we should do it “for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

Reason 3. There is the problem of trying to play God. Consider the following verses.

Isaiah 44:24: “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself…””

Exodus 4:11: “The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?””.

John 9:1-3 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Isaiah 45:9-12: “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’” This is what the LORD says—the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: “Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command.”

Isaiah 55:8-9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Deuteronomy 6:15: “the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God”

Jeremiah 7:19: “Am I the one they are hurting?" asks the LORD. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame."

From these we can conclude that creation of life is a task that God has assigned only to Himself. God does create people with “defects”, but He does so for a purpose. We don’t have the right to argue with God because we don’t know better than He does. God is a jealous God. When we try to disobey God or think we know better than Him, we only hurt ourselves.

In conclusion, because the process of genetic manipulation disregards the life of the unborn and presumes to know better than God Himself, it is immoral.