The Ethical Implications ofGenetic Selection

Nathaniel Fernhoff

Copyright Nathaniel Fernhoff

What is Genetic Selection?

• Genetic Selection ischoosing a child,based on its geneticcode.

• Choosing is aeuphemism forallowing to live

This is not a new practice

• Ancient Greeks usedto leave retardedchildren on the hillside

• Chinese law allowsonly 1 child/family, somany females aredisowned, as the malesare typically preferred

Genetic Selection is still used inmodern society

• Male/Female selectionis possible (by weight)

• Specifiedcharacteristics foregg/sperm donors(Stanford daily)

How the Technology Will Work(In Theory)

• Several eggs will be taken from the femaleand a collection of sperm from the male.

• The sperm and eggs will be geneticallyscreened and some will be selected.

• A few sperm/egg combo’s will be incubatedin the lab and grown to an 8 celled zygote.

• Even fewer will be selected for birth.

The Ethical Issues ofGenetic Selection

The unselected zygotes are discarded

Availability of the technology Genosim Loss of Genetic Diversity

The effects on civilization Where should the line be drawn, for selectable characteristics

Ethics

The Discarded Zygotes

• The unused zygotes will be discarded, andmany may view this as abortion, an ethical,yet currently legal, issue.

• In Practical Ethics, Peter Singer asserts thatsince the zygote has no nervous system, theonly argument against its disposal is its“potential for life”

Resolution

• Although the zygotehas the potential forlife, a single spermand a single egg dotoo. However, thereare no ethical qualmsfor wasting a sperm oran egg.

What Should be Selected

SexWeightEmotionalDispositions

Eye colorHair ColorIntelligence

HeightMuscleEnhancement

GeneticDiseases

Disease

• This would seeminglypose the least ethicalthreat. However, thereis a concern that healthand life insurance willdiscriminate againstthose who aren’tselected.

Legislative Action

• In essence, this is notan argument againstgenetic selection, it isan argument for betterprivacy laws. Legalbureaucracy shouldnot overshadow thevalue of reducinghuman suffering.

The Ethics of Aesthetics

Height, Weight, Complexion, Sex, Appearance

Drawing The Line

• What if your childwere to be a midget ordwarf, but otherwiseperfectly healthy?

• What if your childwere to be 5’6’’ butyou would prefer6’2’’?

• Are these scenariosdifferent?

• What if your childwere to be morbidlyobese?

• What if you wouldprefer your child to beof a certain build?

• Are these scenariosdifferent?

Drawing The Line

• What if you child wereto have terrible legionson their body, but nototherwise affected?

• What if you child wereto have terrible acne?

• Are these different?

• What if you were toprefer a a wellbehaved child, withouta violent temper?

• Is this any differentthan disciplining achild, to mold hisbehavior?

Summary of Concerns

If we allow theseselections, at whatpoint will we wind upwith cookie cutterbabies?

Where should we drawthe line?

Drawing the Line

We shouldn’t draw the line. Many parents willwant to leave some things to chance, otherswill want to specify qualities. Whyshouldn’t they be allowed to do so from apurely ethical viewpoint? Putting aside theinitial disgust built in from science fictionpropaganda and a Puritan based society,why shouldn’t the parents be allowed tospecify the baby they want?

The Child’s Identity

“The child is still you; simply the best of you.”–Geneticist in Gattaca responding to parents’concerns

Societal concerns

As the age of plausible genetic selectionapproaches, science fiction has increasedliterature portraying a culture seeminglyamoralized by genetic selection. Thisheightened public “awareness” of geneticselection has lead to unfounded projectionsof the future with a distinctive flavor ofhysteria.

Societal Concerns

Web sites like:http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~cahge/

The home page of The Campaign Against HumanGenetic Engineering contains such predictions,which overlook not only the obvious benefits togenetic selection, but the very nature ofcivilization. Stories of people predestined to acertain stake in life forget that “there is no genefor fate” -Gattaca

Legitimate Concerns

• Forces a greater chasm between the upperand lower class

• Genoism

• Privacy

• Loss of Genetic Diversity

• Loss of Diversity

Will This Be A Service For OnlyThe Rich?

• Hopefully, the government will recognize theimportance of genetic selection, and will subsidizecosts for under-privileged families. However, inthe event of inadequate funding, the technologyshould still be available.

• Just as expensive cars, and big houses are luxuries,a genetically selected child is a luxury, as well.This might incite greater genoism, and thisconcern will be addressed shortly.

• Furthermore, as the technology is used, the costwill go down due to market competition andtechnological advances.

Genoism

Discrimination based on one’sgenetic code

Genosim

The logic behind genoism is no more validthan the logic behind any racism. Ourculture supports the value of an inherenthuman worth. Therefore, our society is aslikely to revert to severe racism as it is toembrace genoism.

Genoism in the workplace

• Concerns regardingthe availability of theselected’s genetic codeand concerns fordiscrimination againstthe unselected centeron the privacy of aperson’s DNA.

• The government needsto produce legislationprotecting the privacyof the genetic code.Furthermore,restrictions of genetictesting materials needto be implemented.

Genoism and The Real Issue

• Although the legislaturemight be insufficient, theonly alternative is to bangenetic selection. Thisargument reduces toshould we let people havediseases inorder to“protect” the publicinterest. Protection can beoffered through othermeans, such as laws andregulations, but thediseases might beotherwise incurable.

Loss of Genetic Diversity

• Mother nature seemingly built in a defense for thehuman race in its genetic diversity. Sickle CellAnemia, although it drastically shortens one’s lifespan, makes one immune to malaria. In many partsof the world, where malaria is rampant Sickle CellAnemia is very much responsible the the survivalof a group of people. If we start selecting againstdisease, what happens if we are faced in asituation where that genetic diversity could havesaved us?

Loss of Genetic Diversity

• Since the technology allows us to selectagainst the disease, the technology will beable to allow us to select for the diseaseshould this necessity arise.

Loss of individuality

• There is a fear that ifeveryone has asubstantially similargenetic code, we will loseour individuality.However, twins, peoplewith exactly the samegenetic code, are clearlytwo distinct people whovery much retain theirindividuality.

Closing Remarks

• Despite logical analysis,many can’t shake thefeeling that society willsomehow lose itshumanity in geneticselection. Somehow,making children smarter,healthier, or moreattractive deprives theworld of something itneeds to survive.

Reminder

• Although it is oftenforgotten, even thesmartest, healthiest,most attractivehumans on the planet,are still quite human.