Is “Medical” Selection OK?
http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/29/are-kids-with-down-syndrome-on-the-road-to-extinction/
According to the article (link above), a new “maternal blood test [is available] for Down syndrome that can be administered as early as 10 weeks, long before a woman looks visibly pregnant.” This is great news, but still comes with a whole baggage of ethical considerations–should we genetically modify our children for a variety of serious (disorders) and not-so-serious (brown eyes) reasons? Should humans be able to pick and choose what to make out of our children?
I think in the end there’s going to be an arbitrary cut-off on what conditions are acceptable to eliminate with genetic intervention. Personally I don’t think gender discrimination (and elimination) is acceptable-it’s illegal in some countries. But in terms of genetic disorders, I want to be pragmatic.
Think of an MP3 player. You go to Walmart to buy one. You want it to function smoothly. You want the buttons to be responsive, the remote control to have standard batteries, the plug to fit in right. You definitely don’t want something you can’t upkeep if the parts are so specific that they are expensive and unobtainable. Now think about a child in those very terms. I may be super insensitive, but deep down we all want “healthy” children, for social and economic reasons.
You worry about your child all your life, no matter what special situation they’re in. But would you really want your child to be different and to start out with disadvantages? What characteristics would you say would keep your child at a disadvantage?
OK. Don’t pull the race card on me now.