📋 WAT/Essay Analysis Guide: The Ethics of Designer Babies

🌟 Understanding the Topic’s Importance

Designer babies encapsulate ethical, social, and technological dimensions relevant to business, governance, and healthcare. As leaders, MBA students will face decisions balancing innovation and moral responsibility.

⏳ Effective Planning and Writing

• 📝 Time Allocation:
• Planning: 5 minutes
• Writing: 20 minutes
• Review: 5 minutes
• 📚 Preparation Tips:
• Gather data on key stakeholders and ethical concerns before writing.

📖 Introduction Techniques

• ⚖️ Contrast Introduction: “While gene editing could eliminate diseases, it opens Pandora’s box of ethical dilemmas.”
• 💡 Solution-Based Introduction: “With proper regulation, gene editing could transform humanity while preserving ethical boundaries.”
• 📜 Timeline Introduction: “From the 2012 discovery of CRISPR to the first designer babies in 2018, gene editing has advanced at an unprecedented pace.”

📚 Structuring the Essay Body

1. Achievements:

• ✔️ Medical Breakthroughs: Discuss how gene editing has cured genetic conditions like sickle cell anemia and accelerated biomedical research.
• ✔️ Research Innovations: Highlight advancements such as CRISPR and its role in precise DNA editing.

2. Challenges:

• ⚠️ Equity Concerns: Address fears of gene editing becoming a luxury available only to the wealthy, widening social inequality.
• ❌ Ethical Issues: Discuss the risks of eugenics, consent problems, and the morality of altering future generations.
• 🌍 Regulatory Gaps: Explore the absence of global consensus on gene-editing practices and laws.

3. Future Outlook:

• 🌟 Suggest frameworks for global cooperation to create equitable and ethical regulations.
• 💡 Propose investments in public awareness campaigns to educate society on the potential and risks of gene editing.

🔚 Concluding Effectively

• 🌀 Balanced Conclusion: “Gene editing holds promise but must navigate the ethical tightrope with caution.”
• 🌍 Global Comparison Conclusion: “The trajectory of gene editing’s success depends on drawing lessons from nations like the UK while avoiding missteps like China’s 2018 controversy.”

✍️ Sample Short Essays

1. Balanced Perspective:

“Gene editing’s ability to cure diseases is transformative but must not sidestep ethical scrutiny. A balanced approach ensures humanity reaps its benefits while safeguarding societal values.”

2. Solution-Oriented:

“Global frameworks for equitable access and ethical oversight are essential for gene editing’s success. Governments, businesses, and communities must collaborate to ensure innovation benefits all.”

3. Global Comparison:

“The lessons from diverse approaches to gene editing emphasize the need for inclusive regulation to avoid ethical pitfalls. Striking a balance between innovation and responsibility is crucial.”