| Prenatal and postnatal genetic enhancement may | | | | his discussion of early IVF techniques: "Since offspring |
| ultimately result in a post-human society. These | | | | would have had no alternative route to a healthy |
| techniques remain in the science fiction realm for the | | | | birth, embryo transfer... would not harm offspring, |
| foreseeable future, but a consideration of their | | | | and therefore could not be banned on that basis."1 |
| implications is critically important for our ability to | | | | The child's autonomy would be affected by parents |
| successfully manage their impact. | | | | who attempt to limit their offspring's choices. But a |
| What might be good concerning genetic | | | | child's autonomy is never that of an adult. A child's |
| enhancement and what might be not so good? In | | | | choices are always limited. A proportion of parents |
| the early going there would be questions of | | | | who choose genetic enhancement will be smart |
| distributive justice. As the procedures would be | | | | parents who have upgraded their child's opportunities |
| costly in the initial period of availability, the rich would | | | | and provide the space for their child to make her |
| get richer. One solution could involve government | | | | own choices (within the boundaries of being a child). |
| subsidies for those who are economically | | | | Another group of parents will attempt to force |
| disadvantaged. | | | | choices upon their child. I assert this would occur |
| As a taxpayer, I'd resist such use of my | | | | regardless of the availability of genetic enhancement. |
| contributions to federal coffers. Possibly the | | | | Such genetic manipulation could provide great value. I |
| government could subsidize a select number of | | | | would have enjoyed being able to run faster and |
| procedures for the entire population, and a lottery | | | | jump higher. What if we could be able to breathe |
| would determine the lucky families. At least, this | | | | underwater? Such an enhancement would be greatly |
| would be a more equitable use of these new | | | | appreciated by many. What if we could read a |
| technologies. | | | | 400-page book in an hour? I'd like to be able to do |
| I'll level the playing field and create a scenario in which | | | | that, too. |
| any family can afford genetic enhancement. Is the | | | | But considering how much progress has been |
| autonomy of the enhanced child affected? On one | | | | achieved in the last 50 years regarding the treatment |
| view, as this child is the one actually born, she can | | | | of cancer (literally zero), such genetic breakthroughs |
| have no complaints regarding autonomy, at least with | | | | are at least 100 years away. Regardless, a |
| respect to her enhanced genetic sequence. She's | | | | forward-thinking society would have its ethical |
| alive, and this is only a bad thing in the extremely | | | | constructs in place in advance of the technology. |
| unlikely circumstance that her life is not worth living. | | | | 1 Robertson JA: The new reproduction. |
| Similar views have been propounded by Robertson in | | | | |