Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jul;35(1-4):24-35.
doi: 10.1007/s40592-018-0081-2.

Defending eugenics : From cryptic choice to conscious selection

Jonathan Anomaly  1
Affiliations

Defending eugenics : From cryptic choice to conscious selection

Jonathan Anomaly. Monash Bioeth Rev. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

For most of human history children have been a byproduct of sex rather than a conscious choice by parents to create people with traits that they care about. As our understanding of genetics advances along with our ability to control reproduction and manipulate genes, prospective parents have stronger moral reasons to consider how their choices are likely to affect their children, and how their children are likely to affect other people. With the advent of cheap and effective contraception, and the emergence of new technologies for in vitro fertilization, embryo selection, and genetic engineering, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify rolling the genetic dice by having children without thinking about the traits they will have. It is time to face up to the awesome responsibilities that accompany our reproductive choices.

Keywords: Embryo Selection; Eugenics; Genetic Engineering; Liberal Eugenics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Eugenics Undefended.
    Wilson RA. Wilson RA. Monash Bioeth Rev. 2019 Oct;37(1-2):68-75. doi: 10.1007/s40592-019-00094-w. Monash Bioeth Rev. 2019. PMID: 31325149 No abstract available.

References

    1. Agar N. Liberal Eugenics: In Defense of Human Enhancement. New York: Blackwell Publishing; 2004.
    1. Anomaly J. Public goods and procreation. Monash Bioethics Review. 2014;32(3):172–188. doi: 10.1007/s40592-014-0011-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barnes JC, et al. Demonstrating the validity of twin research in criminology. Criminology. 2014;52(4):588–626. doi: 10.1111/1745-9125.12049. - DOI
    1. Baron-Cohen S. Zero Degrees of Empathy: A new Theory of Human Cruelty and Kindness. London: Penguin Press; 2012.
    1. Benatar D. The Limits of Reproductive Freedom. In: Archard D, Benatar D, editors. Procreation and Parenthood: The Ethics of Bearing and Rearing Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011.

LinkOut - more resources