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 [...]
Is this purely eugenics or a biologically justified form of technology assisted natural selection? What kind of life would these prenataly selected embryos will lead as adults? Knowing their parents have invested greatly in creating a cancer-free child, could they ever justify keeping an unhealthy lifestyles? Are they free to make any possibly damaging life [...]
Also tagged eugenics, future, PGDAndre, Fleck, Tomlinson claim that unless there is a risk of harm or burden, lighthearted or even thoughtless action cannot be labeled irresponsible. However all aspects of procreation hold a risk of harm or burden, so does that mean that any light hearted act of conception is automatically deemed irresponsible?
They go on to discuss the [...]
The geneticisation of disease has individualising, deterministic and reductive tendencies (Lippman, 1991).
Determinism seem to be one of the hardest things to deal with. Choice and a self-determinative approach to life have become such important components in our existence. A predictable path in life has been replaced with a world of possibilities or opportunities, to know [...]
Inheriting a ‘closed future’ is not limited to genetic disorders, in many families children are destined to marry, provide care or go into the family business and their future path is written for them before they are born.
The obligation to continue in the parents footsteps and provide for the relatives or keep the family trade [...]
As demonstrated by Lemke in the quote below, genetic information is perceived as the ‘key to freedom’. What does this freedom entail? Is it freedom of uncertainty? Freedom of doubt? Freedom of guilt? It can be argued that one of those promised new freedoms is the freedom of choice. Hence in order to exercise this [...]
Also tagged freedom, responsibility