By Jena Seidemann
Managing Editor
@jena_seidemann

Somewhere in the world, a scientist is manipulating the genome of a future human being, and as we are heading towards more technological advances, are we digressing in morals?

In, The Dallas Morning News British legislation was deciding whether or not a woman predisposed to passing down mitochondrial diseases could be given the opportunity to receive donor mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid, essentially creating a human from three people. From there, the DNA would be inserted into the egg and the woman would have to go through In Vitro Fertilization and carry out her gestation.

As one of the leading countries in reproductive technology, it is not surprising Britain’s House of Lords passed the law allowing for the genetic engineering.

Despite the benefits, it could also take us down a road where we choose science over what is right. There is potential for great good and great bad, and considering we live an ocean away, it is something to keep in mind should it ever come to America.

If it did, I would vote against it.

A few months ago, I wrote it was dogmatic to think In Vitro Fertilization was wrong, and the fact is, they are not the same thing. The joining of sperm and egg is not a new phenomenon, but manipulating someone’s genes is.

Who is going to stop someone from manipulating genes to make the “perfect child?” We have the right to want what’s best for our children, but not the right to pick and choose how they look or how tall they’ll be.

We should use science as a preventative measure from debilitating genetic diseases, but should I ever be faced with this dilemma or any form of infertility, I would not pursue IVF. Instead of all the effort to have children of my “flesh and blood,” I would adopt.

There are many misconceptions about adoption, which is due to being misinformed or uneducated about the process. One is that there may be a “rift” between the parents and child because they are not made from the same DNA.  Sure, I do not look like my parents nor did I originate from the same continent as they did, but as I grow older, I see pieces of them within me. I have my dad’s kindness and sense of humor but my mom’s determination and passion.

Make no mistake: people will know who your children are by their physical appearances, but there is more than one way to pass down your legacy, and it is not by how your children look, but by how they shape and view the world.

Of course, I  am biased. I have first handedly reaped the benefits of adoption, and so have my parents. Since they could not conceive naturally (because they are both paralyzed), my mother underwent IVF, which was filled with test after test, drugs and so much hassle – not to mention an upwards cost of $20,000.

I am glad she did it because I love my brother, but why not help a child who is already on this Earth, who needs a home?

Within the United States, it is estimated there are over 100,000 plus children in foster care and millions of orphans in the world.

Adoption is an emotionally and financially draining process, which eliminates people who cannot afford the hefty price tag.  However, there is always foster care.

The government gives a stipend to foster parents to cover the essentials such as clothing and food, and if you chose to adopt one of your foster children, there is no cost.

Over the years, I have been humbled to hear foster and adoptive stories. One in particular is a friend I met from a Christian Family Camp, Fort Wilderness.

When Robin Liefeld was dating her husband, they decided they wanted to open their home to children in need and have their own. However, Endometriosis prevented them from having their own children.

Some time later during a church service, they saw a multiracial family in front of them. They took it as a sign to foster. Even though she was heartbroken she couldn’t have her own, she found peace knowing it brought her down another road.

“I remember crying myself to sleep because I wanted a baby to love – and when I found out that there were babies out there that just wanted a mommy to hold them and love them I knew it was meant to be,” Liefeld said. “The first time I held Kayla and rocked her to sleep, I felt a healing of my broken heart like God was waiting to give me this little girl. I was so thankful to Him for having a better plan than my own.”

Where did their initial reason for wanting to adopt and foster came from? It was by seeing others open their home when they were younger, which is what we need to do.

People admire those who adopt, but when push comes to shove, it isn’t something most people would want to necessarily pursue unless it is a last resort (like infertility), which breaks my heart.

It stems from many things, specifically the old belief that children have to have the same DNA to pass down the family name or your worth as a women is if you can have children, but that is a lie.

Girls my age set their dreams to get married, have children of their own and live happily every after, but what happens when you cannot? What will you do then? There is nothing wrong with wanting your own children, but adoption should also be in our minds, regardless of our ability to reproduce, because millions of children are growing up without parents, and each of them deserve them.

And contrary to belief, it doesn’t make you any less of a woman or man because you cannot or do not want to have children of your own, but people impress these old-fashioned ideals. Someone I knew almost wasn’t adopted because of that old tradition, and I could not imagine life without them.

They even go to unbelievable lengths just to have their flesh and blood that they forget there are many other children that need homes.  If you want to go through all the drugs and testing such as IVF, it is your choice. But I know there are many children in the world who would love to call you their parents.

We are not messing with pea plants people (and even that could have incredible consequences), but we are dealing with human beings. If someone wants to pursue it, I can not fully support it, even if it is as a preventative measure – not when there are plenty of children that need a home.

**I would like to extend a thank you to my parents, for opening their home to me for the past 16 years. This is for you. I love you.