system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I believe that the Federation's laws against genetic enhancements are ridiculous. CMV

First of all, for those of you who do not know, the controversy in the Federation about genetic augmentation spawned from "the Eugenics Wars" in the late 20th century Earth. Some augmented super humans took control of the world from the shadows, and were probably responsible for most of the wars throughout the 21st century leading up to WWIII. The most powerful of these augmented Tyrants was Khan Noonien Singh. I think having laws in place barring the improvement of living beings based on an event that happened almost 400 years in the past is an obsolete way of thinking. The Federation is the champion of individual rights and libertarian values, so the right to improve ones self through genetic augmentations should not be infringed upon by the state. Individual determination has always been the central ideology of the Federation, and this ban is nothing, but a disgrace to what the Federation stands for. 

Some of you may argue that augments are naturally violent and egotistical. Spock said "Superior ability breeds superior ambition," and I find it laughably ironic that a Vulcan would be the one degrading human augments. Vulcans are physiologically stronger and smarter than humans, rivaling even augments, yet the Federation doesn't ban Vulcans. The idea that the ban on augmentation revolves around the assumption that all genetically engineered people are all going to end up like extreme egotistical elitists has been proven false by the countless different species within the Federation, all with different levels of strength and mental capability living in almost perfect harmony. Vulcans are a prime example of this.

My third issue goes back to civil liberties and equality again. What if I was born a human, and decided that I'm a Vulcan trapped inside a human body. So I want to change my genetic and psychical structure to that of a Vulcan (kind of like a sex change). The Federation should not legally deny me this opportunity. By prohibiting the right to change oneself for the better or worse, the Federation is thereby making itself a less free and equal place. Why should I be born in a body that is weak and feeble, while my neighbor T"vok gets to live to 200, has psychic powers, and can lift 2 tons effortlessly. Its unfair to say the least.
gpt
Julian Bashir provided an alternate argument against genetic enhancement, analogous to those used against performance-enhancing drugs on Earth in the pre-warp era.  If genetic enhancement for children became the norm, parents would be pressured to have their children genetically engineered as well, just to keep up.  Twentieth-century Earth explored the dehumanizing effects of such an outcome in the film "Gattaca", among others.  That's not to mention that genetic enhancement is inherently quite risky and can have serious side-effects.  For these reasons, genetic engineering remains illegal so that it doesn't become a necessity for success.