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2009

Genetics

University at Albany, State University of New York

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Proactive Procreation : Ethical Implications Of New Genetic Technologies For Parental Obligations To Future Offspring, L Syd M. Johnson Jan 2009

Proactive Procreation : Ethical Implications Of New Genetic Technologies For Parental Obligations To Future Offspring, L Syd M. Johnson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation examines the ethical implications of recent genetic innovations, particularly preimplantation genetic diagnosis, for the obligations and duties of parents to future children. I critique common but uncompelling objections to the use of genetic information, diagnosis, and technology to influence the characteristics of future offspring, and conclude that genetic selection and enhancement are not different in kind or degree from other means of selection, direction, and enhancement that parents engage in to shape the lives of their children. Procreation is morally risky -- it risks imposing substantial burdens on persons who would not otherwise have to bear those burdens, …