The New Eugenics?

Ethics frequently lags behind science because it is the explosive rate of scientific discovery that provides the raw material for ethical discourse. Yet, it is the hand of societal ethics that holds the reigns on scientific progress. Frustrating as this must seem to people suffering from disease, this relationship bestows important controls on a potentially uncontrollable situation. This was clearly illustrated to me through media manipulation at a In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) conference that I attended this week. The following quote was flashed on the screen without citation during the first click - "He who is bodily and mentally not sound and deserving may not perpetuate this misfortune in the bodies of his children...One day, however, it will appear as a deed greater than the most victorious wars of our present bourgeois era" Well that sounded reasonable enough as we were discussing Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), until the source was cited: Mein Kampf (1924), Adolph Hitler.


Although PGD is costly and reserved for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), the path that we are embarking upon may be treacherous at best. As parents we certainly want the best for our children. Unfortunately it is not much of a stretch from there to the following conclusion: what is best for our children is to make the best children. This may sound like a pretzel postulate, but not when you follow the thought to its conclusion, it has frightening implications for those in our society who are not "the best".

I have great empathy for those who must live their lives contending with mental and physical challenges. It seems reasonable enough to eliminate suffering if possible and we have the ability to do just that in a small but significant population for whom PGD may be utilized. I am not an advocate for eugenics, but what seems reasonable enough now could once again spiral out of control. If Hitler had the science we now have, it seems fairly likely that PGD not only would have been widely used, but most likely abused. To prevent this it is incumbent upon us to use the hand of ethics to hold the reigns of science.

Although I would like to see an end to disease and disability, the creation of a group of made to order babies would further marginalize those in our society who were not born with the benefits of a healthy body. I foresee a day when correcting genetic defects will become a matter of course. The discussion should be multifaceted and must include not only what is possible but what is advisable. A robust ethical debate is the best navigator to steer us down a moral path. There was a time when very few people even knew the gender of their unborn child. Today PGD affects very few people, tomorrow will be different.