Abstract
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PID) is often seen as an improvement upon prenatal testing. I argue that PID may exacerbate the eugenic features of prenatal testing and make possible an expanded form of free-market eugenics. The current practice of prenatal testing is eugenic in that its aim is to reduce the numbers of people with genetic disorders. Due to social pressures and eugenic attitudes held by clinical geneticists in most countries, it results in eugenic outcomes even though no state coercion is involved. I argue that technological advances may soon make PID widely accessible. Because abortion is not involved, and multiple embryos are available, PID is radically more effective as a tool of genetic selection. It will also make possible selection on the basis of non-pathological characteristics, leading, potentially, to a full-blown free-market eugenics. For these reasons, I argue that PID should be strictly regulated.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Clarke A. Is non-directive genetic counselling possible? Lancet. 1991 Oct 19;338(8773):998–1001. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)91849-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Green J. M. Obstetricians' views on prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy: 1980 compared with 1993. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1995 Mar;102(3):228–232. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1995.tb09099.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Handyside A. H., Kontogianni E. H., Hardy K., Winston R. M. Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification. Nature. 1990 Apr 19;344(6268):768–770. doi: 10.1038/344768a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kahn A. Cloning, dignity and ethical revisionism. Nature. 1997 Jul 24;388(6640):320–320. doi: 10.1038/40960. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Le Bris Sonia. Preimplantation diagnosis: points to consider. Biomed Ethics. 1998;3(2):52–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Marteau T. M., Drake H. Attributions for disability: the influence of genetic screening. Soc Sci Med. 1995 Apr;40(8):1127–1132. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)00180-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Marteau T. M., Johnston M., Plenicar M., Shaw R. W., Slack J. Development of a self-administered questionnaire to measure women's knowledge of prenatal screening and diagnostic tests. J Psychosom Res. 1988;32(4-5):403–408. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(88)90023-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Marteau T., Drake H., Bobrow M. Counselling following diagnosis of a fetal abnormality: the differing approaches of obstetricians, clinical geneticists, and genetic nurses. J Med Genet. 1994 Nov;31(11):864–867. doi: 10.1136/jmg.31.11.864. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Newton H., Aubard Y., Rutherford A., Sharma V., Gosden R. Low temperature storage and grafting of human ovarian tissue. Hum Reprod. 1996 Jul;11(7):1487–1491. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a019423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Raeburn J. A. Commentary: Preimplantation diagnosis raises a philosophical dilemma. BMJ. 1995 Aug 26;311(7004):540–540. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.7004.540. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Robertson J. A. Ethical and legal issues in preimplantation genetic screening. Fertil Steril. 1992 Jan;57(1):1–11. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)54767-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Southern E. M. DNA chips: analysing sequence by hybridization to oligonucleotides on a large scale. Trends Genet. 1996 Mar;12(3):110–115. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(96)81422-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wald N. J., Kennard A., Densem J. W., Cuckle H. S., Chard T., Butler L. Antenatal maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome: results of a demonstration project. BMJ. 1992 Aug 15;305(6850):391–394. doi: 10.1136/bmj.305.6850.391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wertz D. C. Society and the not-so-new genetics: what are we afraid of? Some future predictions from a social scientist. J Contemp Health Law Policy. 1997 Spring;13(2):299–345. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]