The Ethics of Creating Designer Children [Issue in Ethics]

Michael Sandel has recently written "The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering" (Belknap/Harvard University Press, 2007). It is an exceptionally thoughtful short essay (only 162 small pages, including notes) on the issues of using genetic engineering to create designer children. Before addressing his thoughts, I want to explore a similar theme that is less emotionally charged for most of us.