This paper aims to elucidate some ethical and social issues raised by designing life and to examine them in connection with eugenics. Advanced medical technology has made possible some methods of designing life, such as sperm/egg or embryo selection, germline genetic modification and the production of life by cloning. The subject of our investigation is germline genetic modification or manipulation, especially the enhancement of capabilities or traits of children at the request of their prospective parents. "The voluntary choice of the individual" is both a main argument justifying that form of intervention and also a strong ground for supporting the "new eugenics," which is distinguished from old, state-sponsored eugenics. On the one hand, new eugenics is a body of thought and practices based on the premise that the choice of a "desirable quality" is part of the reproductive freedom of an individual as a consumer or client. This type of new eugenics is closely related to the way of redesigning society sought by Neoliberalism, which values the self-determination of the individual, the free-market and deregulation. On the other hand, new eugenics is an attempt at improving the gene pool of future generations by remodelling human beings, and it advocates a new evolution of humankind. In some arguments presented by new eugenics to justify germline genetic enhancement, serious ethical and social problems are found, namely a distortion of the way of relating to others, discrimination against disabled people, harmful effects on children etc. So we should severely scrutinize the connection between that form of technology and new eugenics.
