Designer babies
What is a designer baby?
Credit: ©fitopardo Getty Images
What is wrong with designing babies? You might ask yourself:
What exactly is a designer baby?
A designer baby is a baby whose genetic makeup has either been selected or altered to
either include or exclude certain genes. This raises many ethical questions, don’t you
think?
Concept
These are some concepts you should take into consideration with every text type.
Different text types have different audiences, different registers and different purposes.
Let’s think about the audience, register and purpose of an article.
● Audience : who are you writing for?
When writing an article, one thing you can be sure about is that you are writing
for a very specific audience; however, who exactly that audience is depends
largely on where your article will be published — this, of course, will be specified
in the writing task.
For example, if your article is intended to be written for your school magazine,
then your audience will be the students and staff at your school. However, if your
article is intended to be written for your neighbourhood’s weekly newspaper, then
your audience will be your neighbours.
● Register: What is really meant by register?
Language register is the level of formality that you will employ in your writing; this
determines the vocabulary, structure and even some grammatical aspects of
your writing.
The register for an article is semi-formal to formal. Semi-formal register allows
you to use phrasal verbs, contractions and some idioms; your sentences should
still be longer and more complex. As for formal register, you are not allowed to
use contractions; you are strongly advised to use the third-person point of view
and avoid the first person-point of view (this depends greatly on where your
article will be published); you should avoid using slang, idioms and exaggeration,
in addition to avoiding abbreviations and acronyms.
● Purpose: What is the purpose of your writing? Are you trying to inform your
audience, persuade them or merely to entertain them?
A piece of writing could have more than one purpose. The article as a text type
usually has the purpose of informing or reporting; however, you could also
merely be exploring or reflecting on a certain topic. Opinion articles could even
go as far as to try to persuade, but otherwise, your article should be quite
objective.
Vocabulary
How to prepare for IB English B Writing close advice
Example article
Activity
You recently read about a significant scientific advancement in the field of gene
modification: a researcher has created the world’s first genome-edited twins. However,
the scientific community is not very thrilled about this as it raises numerous ethical
questions. You would like to reflect on this researcher’s work and the way it was
received by the scientific community, raise awareness about the ethical concerns and
offer your own recommendations for the future of such research. Choose one of the text
types given below and write a text of 450–600 words in which you express your
thoughts about the researcher’s work, explore the ethical issues it raises and suggest
ways to move forward.
Proposal Article Formal Letter
Once you have finished, take a look at the opinion article below, which explores the
same topic. Although this is slightly longer than the text you were asked to write, it could
still serve as a good example of an article-type response to the prompt.
Extract
Why we are not ready for genetically designed babies
November 27, 2018
1 The media is buzzing with the news that a Chinese researcher, Jainkui He , has
created the world’s first genome-edited twins . He did this to provide resistance to HIV.
2 Professor He capitalized on work in 2012 by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuel
Charpentier, who introduced a new and easier way of altering the DNA of human and
non-human organisms using CRISPR-Cas9 technology .
3 He’s claim moves human germline genome editing from the lab to the delivery room.
The scientific community has expressed widespread condemnation of He’s decision to
initiate a pregnancy using genetically modified embryos — as “dangerous,
"irresponsible” and “crazy.” What if mistakes are made? How can we be sure this
powerful technology will benefit humankind? Are we ready for the consequences of
genetically engineering our own evolution?
4 Individual scientists should not be allowed to decide the fate of the human genome.
Heritable human genome editing poses a significant existential threat because changes
may persist throughout the human population for generations, with unknown risks.
5 We must commit to inclusive global dialogue — involving experts and the public — to
develop broad societal consensus on what to do with genetic technologies .
Possible mutations or forced sterilization
6 He announced to the world that he edited the genome of human embryos for seven
couples using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. According to He, two of these embryos
resulted in a pregnancy, and twin girls, Lulu and Nana, were born.
7 The goal of the editing was to confer resistance to HIV by modifying the CCR5 gene
(the protein doorway by which HIV enters human cells). Evidence suggests, however,
the procedure was unnecessary, is unlikely to provide benefit and could even cause
harm. Although the father of Lulu and Nana was HIV positive, it is unlikely that he would
have passed this disease to his children using standard IVF procedures.
8 The children born of genome editing are genetic mosaics with uncertain resistance to
HIV and perhaps decreased resistance to viral diseases like influenza and West Nile.
9 There is also the possibility of unintended mutations caused by the CRISPR
procedure. These health risks cannot be overstated, as the repercussions for these twin
girls, in terms of their susceptibility to infectious diseases or cancer will likely be a cause
for concern throughout their lives.
10 Another uncertain consequence for the twins concerns their reproductive health and
freedom. As they approach reproductive age will they face the possibility of “forced”
sterilization to prevent their edited genes being passed on to future generations?
Designer babies by powerful elites
11 With the Genetic Genie out of the bottle, we have to ask whether we need any more
time to reflect on the ethics?
12 A just and fair society is one with less
disparity and more justice. A predictable consequence of allowing individuals to
genetically modify their children will be greater disparity and greater injustice. Of
significant concern is the inevitable increase in discrimination, stigmatisation and
marginalisation as powerful scientific and corporate elites decide which traits are
desirable and which traits are not.
13 Although He disavows any interest in so-called “designer babies” whose parents
have chosen their children’s eye-colour, hair-colour, IQ and so on, we are forced to
contemplate such a “eugenic” dystopian future should we continue down this path.
14 The human genome belongs to all of us. As such, we need to commit to the hard
work of making good on the 2015
admonition by the Organizing Committee for the International Summit on Human Gene
Editing to work towards “broad societal consensus” on how we should proceed with, or
not proceed with, editing it.
15 In this regard it is heart-warming to have Feng Zhang call for a
moratorium on implantation of edited embryos and remind his scientific colleagues that
“in 2015, the international research community said it would be irresponsible to proceed
with any germline editing without ‘broad societal consensus about the appropriateness
of the proposed application.’”
Authors: Graham Delaire, Director of Research and Professor of Pathology, Dalhousie
University; Landon J Getz, Ph.D. Candidate in Microbiology and Immunology,
Dalhousie University; Francoise Baylis, Professor and Canada Research Chair in
Bioethics and Philosophy, Dalhousie University
Next, read the following tips on article writing, which reference the sample article you
just read.
● How do articles start?
This article starts with a title that gives the readers a clear idea about its main topic.
In addition to the title, some articles have a sub-headline that summarises the main
point of the article. Moreover, we can see the name/s of the author/s and the date of
publication. Sometimes, you can also see the name of the newspaper/magazine on top
of the title.
● Is the first paragraph catchy?
Even though the first paragraph needs to be quite concise and have the purpose of
introducing the topic, it should also be catchy enough to catch the readers’ attention and
engage them from the start.
● What is the role of the subheadings?
In addition to the main title, most articles have subheadings, which are mini headlines
that the author uses when introducing a relatively new idea or aspect of the topic.
Subheadings capture and hold the readers’ attention in addition to allowing them to
grasp the organisation of the article. Another thing to note about paragraphs is their
length; paragraphs in an article should be kept short!
● What is the tone of an article?
The tone of an article is usually conveyed through the choice of words and the viewpoint
of the writer on the particular subject they are writing about.
The tone in this article is actually quite objective and serious. Even though the authors
have a clear position on this topic, they do not base this position on their feelings, but
rather on facts, data and research.
● What register can articles employ?
In general, articles can employ a semi-formal to informal register. However, this article
employs a formal register, as is evident through the language and vocabulary. The
authors use complete sentences, avoid slang and sometimes use technical vocabulary.
They also avoid contractions, opting instead for complete words.
Exam tip
Things to remember about the article as a text type
● Remember that the context of the article and where it will be published will be
given in the task — it is important you pay attention to this!
● You need to have the name of the author and the date of publication at the
beginning of the article — you can of course make these up! You could even
come up with a name for the magazine/newspaper in which your article is meant
to be published.
● Your article will have a semi-formal to a formal register, depending on where it is
being published and who your audience is.
● Your article needs to have a relevant title and headline.
● Your introduction should catch the readers’ attention and make them want to
continue to read the article.
● Try to engage your readers throughout the whole article.
● In addition to the main title, you are encouraged to have subheadings, which are
mini-headlines that the author uses when introducing a relatively new idea or
aspect of the topic. These keep the readers engaged.
● You should have clear paragraphs. They should also be short.
● Remember the purpose of your article. Why are you writing? Do you want to
inform? Report? Explore? Persuade? Your purpose will guide your writing.
Your writing practice
Activity
You recently read an article about how animal fur and skin have been used over the
centuries by human beings to protect themselves from harsh weather conditions.
Moreover, the author also discussed the high demand over the past years for animal
product clothing and shoes, asserting that this practice should be encouraged as
animals were created to serve human beings. You would like to raise more awareness
on this topic in your school as you believe that change starts with teenagers and the
products they choose to buy. Write a text in which you discuss the author’s argument,
argue that animals should not be treated as lesser beings and invite readers to reflect
on the animal products they buy.
Brochure Article Formal Letter
Self Reflection:
Take a moment to reflect on the last article you read outside of the classroom.
● Where was it published?
● Did it follow the article conventions discussed above?
● Was it good? What did you find appealing about it?
● What makes a specific article a good piece of writing?
