How is the desire to have a biological baby interpreted? Is it an indisputable biological urge or an act of selfishness?
“Wanting a child that is genetically one’s own is a desire deeply implanted in many of us by our religious, cultural, and ethical traditions. It is not per se an unworthy impulse to be dismissed out of hand. The desperate pursuit by many people of treatment for their infertility is testimony to the power of this consideration.” (Andre et al, 2000)
Having biological children probably is a result of a selfish need, but selfish not necessarily in a negative way. The hypothetical person is not capable of having any desires or needs, so his creation must only answer the needs of the creators. Beyond the evolutionary or biological explanations of the hormonal demand for a pregnancy or the need to procreate as a result of a survival instinct, a child is often seen as the malleable extension of the self, an agent of fulfilment, purpose and immortalisation.
Is there any legitimicy in criticising any of these behaviours or aspirations? It could be argued that it is unethical to condemn someone to life out of a selfish need or desire, but wouldn’t this be an paradoxical critique of human nature? Actually, of any living organism?
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