Genetic Screening: Reasons Against Screening?
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- This video is Part 2 of a discussion centered on Julian Savulescu's (2001) essay, "Procreative Beneficence: Why We Should Select the Best Children."
Part 1 is available here: • Genetic Screening: Wha...
In this video, I outline several major objections to Savulescu's view. Specifically, I examine claims that the kind of genetic selection he defends is discriminatory, harmful towards individuals with disabilities, and so forth.
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To view videos in sequence, go to: • Introduction to Bioeth...
After seeing both videos on the discussion am definitely on the side against genetic screening, all the arguments for it seem like eugenics with extra steps and seem too heavily rely on the unfunded assumption people with disabilities will have a "worst life"
It also puts too much value on human life on its function while at the same time ignoring how people having disabilities have given them a unique life and perspectives that we're unexpectedly useful
Not to mention one of the main arguments given in favor of genetic screaming was that people should make the best choice with the choice they have, but any information a genetic screening can give you is not enough to make an informed decision about what children should be born, and making active choices without enough information only based on the limited information you have for an important choice like this is not something I would consider ethical.
Although I do not support Julian Savulescu’s procreative beneficence, I still believe that genetic screening is beneficial and therefore fully support it. The idea of reproducers selecting for beneficial non-disease genes is wrong to me. I agree with three of the four objections against procreative beneficence. I absolutely agree that procreative beneficence is highly discriminatory and that Savulescu’s arguments are harmful to people with disabilities and definitely support selection based on sex and race. The one objection that I do not agree with is the one that states genetic screening might eliminate geniuses. In this case, I agree with Savulescu in saying that the embryo selected and the one discarded are equally likely to be geniuses. Prenatal genetic screening is one example of how genetic screening has proven to be a very useful tool. Gene editing on the other hand is something that needs to be tightly regulated and restricted to disease genes only. Gene editing should not be allowed to be used for selecting beneficial non-disease genes. Allowing this will most likely lead to eugenics.
Hi there. Thus debate seems to hinge on marginal cases like deafness, which is arguably not a negative difference-maker, or if there is some negative value it is counteracted by some benefits. But there are obviously uncontroversial cases like Spina Bifida, SLOS, and so on. If you ask parents and persons with those more serious conditions the majority would like to have be able to avoid the disability.
When it comes to traits that are not considered disabilities, well, I have experienced life as a brown eyed male. I would not be offended if a parent wanted a blond haired and blue eyed girl, and found a partner to maximise their chances of realising this. I do not see the morally relevant difference in designing a baby if that was possible.
I generally think that the principle of procreative beneficence is just stating the obvious. Those who find it offensive are the same types that find all sorts of social justice issues offensive and claim disability is a social construct.
Although in the case of stuff like spina bifida, abortion doesn't avoid the disability, abortion aborts the life of a person who has spina bifida. Also people who have it can have full lives. It doesn't make your life so bad you can't appreciate having a life. Those who weren't aborted, don't necessarily now want euthanasia or genuinely feel they wish mum had aborted their life
Disability is definately not a social construct and it is a negative thing in terms that it causes suffering and obstacles for a person and wider society(now suffering and obstacles are not a negative for society and can do produce a positive efffect), so I could say it is a positive thing I suppose.
I have high functioning autism and there are some people, particularly in the autism space that try to say it isn't a disability, and that they only experience extra difficulty because society is messed up.
No you have difficulty because you have a disability. Society isn't blameless, but it is impossible to make it work for you. Not only is society messed up, your brain is messed up too.
It is very harmful to be cutting out clinical language because you don't like it, and the recognition you have a disability is essential for you getting the extra support you are entitled to. If it isn't a disability, you don't deserve extra help for having it.