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This is right out of the movie sci-fi film Gattaca: parents in the Silicon Valley are trying to bio-engineer the “perfect” children and avoid having any duds. It’s a bold, dystopian trend called genetic optimization, and it raises every conceivable ethical alarm: eugenics, inequality, commodification of children, and the chilling question—what happens when parents feel pressure to optimize?
You may feel put off by this very notion but what if you live in New Jersey? A new law in Gloucester Township holds parents legally responsible for their children’s repeated misbehavior. If a minor racks up multiple juvenile infractions—anything from loitering or truancy to disorderly conduct—the parent can be fined up to $2,000 or jailed for as long as 90 days.
Suddenly, engineering a desirable kid doesn’t sound so crazy, does it?
Of course, the worst parents with the best bioengineered baby could still land themselves in jail in New Jersey. Bad kids don’t care if their parents are punished — and bad parents can mess up even the most “optimized” child.
So really, neither of these trends solves anything. One is sci-fi eugenics dressed up as “family planning,” the other is state-sponsored blame-shifting — and both are built on the illusion that you can legislate or engineer your way to perfect children.