Mary Shelly's book, "Frankenstein's Monster", much filmed and much parodied, has become, in a sense, both a literary and cinematic icon. Few would have thought that it would become reality; to be able to create, at will, custom built people.

On August 29th 2000, Adam Nash, the world's first true designer baby was born.

Adam had been conceived specifically for the sake of his 6 year old sister, Molly, who has a rare form of anaemia and who would probably die within a year. After he was born, some of his blood was transfused into her to, hopefully, cure her condition.

Parents Lisa and Jack Nash had decided to go ahead with the controversial treatment after being told it offered the best hope for Molly. Doctors then created 15 embryos in the laboratory, and after extremely sophisticated testing, some were found to carry the same genetic disease as Molly, Fanconi's anaemia, and some would not produce a baby with the correct tissue type. In all, 13 embryos were discarded. Of the remaining two suitable, one was implanted into Mrs. Nash, and Adam was the result.

After Adam was born, doctors collected stem cells from blood in his umbilical cord which were later transferred to his sister. The procedure was reported as being completely painless.

The Nashes, from Denver, Colorado, were very aware of the controversy surrounding their decision to try and save Molly's life in this way. Mrs Nash is reported as saying, "You cannot judge us unless you have been in our shoes. If someone has watched a child dying from a disease, and can say that they wouldn't do everything that they could to save that child, then fine. Unless you can say that, don't judge me".

All of us here at The Curious Web Site are parents, and know what it is to face heartache over your kids. The writers of this article have themselves lost children through mis-carriage. What is done is done, and the Nashes will have to face that time when they tell Adam the true reason why he was born. Until then, let them get on with their lives.

Of course it hasn't stopped there.

On 23rd February 2002, in a landmark ruling, British fertility clinics were given the go-ahead, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to create babies for the benefit of another person. In other words, it is now legal for children to be conceived because they are 'needed' for therapeutic purposes. This ruling came about because a couple, Raj and Shahana Hashmi, sought permission to screen embryos for a genetic match so that cells from the child's umbilical cord can be used to treat the couples' son who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, beta thalassaemia, which could claim his life by the age of 30. At the end of 2003, Shahana Hashmi miscarried, for a second time, the designer baby. We extend the Hashmi's our deepest sympathy.

In June 2003, Jamie Whitaker, the UK's first designer baby was born. The reason for his conception and birth? That stem cells from his umbilical cord might be used to save his older brother, Charlie, from a very serious varient of anaemia. Jamie was screened in the USA as the procedure is outlawed in the UK and there is a 98% chance of there being a genetic match. The procedure, to use the cells in a hope that they might regenerate Charlies immune system into creating the much needed red blood cells has an 85% success rate. We wish the Whitakers and their children well.

What we want to do here is to examine and promote debate over the whole issue before us. Where a child, another human being, is created, through whatever means, for the specific sake of another human being; to be, if you like, a 'biological product', farmed and exploited, without their consent, for parts of their bodies. Or indeed, any situation where a child is selectively created for 'spare parts', or because they will have certain desired physical characteristics (blue eyes, specific gender, or anything else) desired by their parents, family or other party.

In one sense, all we are seeing is the natural outcome of a post-modern humanist society, where there are no absolutes in regard to ethical behaviour or truth. This society, where humans are regarded as nothing more than intelligent mammals, and where consumerism, and personal choice are the over-riding consideration and standard for the many people who would regard themselves as part of the, "I want it all and I want it now" culture, is flourishing at the beginning of the 21st Century, although 'flourishing', may be a misnomer.

So, what are the objections to this self-serving exploitation of other human beings for our own personal gain? There is the temptation to suggest that if you don't already know, then you are probably already too far down the road to even hear what is being said. But, nonetheless, let us cast our minds back to our history lessons - before they are 'cleansed' - and remember the time when the slave trade was rife. Here we had the perfect example of human beings being used and abused for the satisfaction of others. In this case, strong healthy people being captured, often transported thousands of miles and sold to perform, for their new masters, whatever was required of them. Interestingly enough, often in the service of wealth producing industries - cotton, tobacco etc.

After a great passage of time, a civilised society found that it couldn't live with this unjust, dehumanising and degradatory trade and finally outlawed it. That same 'civilised' society, a couple of hundred years on, now finds that it has the technological means at its disposal to do the unimaginable, a new slave trade, and has begun to do so, without, it seems, a second thought. But where all restraint in the form of ethics and morals are cast aside, it should not surprise us that such developments occur.

The question is, will we ever be able to look ourselves in the face again as we certainly move further down the path towards some awful genetic Armageddon. What will stop us pursuing the creation of genetically engineered humans with a physical and mental predisposition towards labour, cleansed of the notion of personal ambition, whose only goal is to serve their 'masters'. We may have outlawed the slave trade, but we have now got the ability to create something far worse; the ability to engineer human beings for our own personal use.

That is the path before us, and who is going to say, "STOP"?

We do!

Will you?