The Baby Of Your Dreams

Since the first test-tube baby was born, people have been fascinated by the idea of designer babies. Now, the reality – and the threat – of genetically modified humans is closer than ever before.

- Genevieve Gannon

Imagine yourself on a hot summer day in the not-too-distant future. You’ve brought your three-year-old daughter to the playground because she loves the swings. A natural athlete, she is using her strong little body to propel herself ever higher, her blonde pigtails trailing behind her like streamers. She’s soaring, and your breath catches as she reaches the top of the swing’s arc and her tiny hands let go of the chains. You rush towards her as she crashes to the ground. She is dazed, but not injured. It is just as the doctor promised:

her bones are unbreakable.

You hug her and remind yourself of the insurance policy you put in place before she was born. She has a vanishingly small risk of cancer, and no risk of diabetes. She will never get Alzheimer’s. You made sure of that when you requested that her embryo be edited before implantation.

“To produce a GMO [genetically modified] sapiens baby, you would begin effectively by placing an order for her or him,” wrote biologist Paul Knoepfler in 2015. “Scientists would team up with you, as the parent, to make this new GM child, using your cells and genetic fabric as the starting material. The only other things needed from you would be the money to pay for the process and your input into the design of the baby.” He then suggested we could see edited humans as soon as 2030.