The Ethics of the New Eugenics

Description

Strategies or decisions aimed at affecting, in a manner considered to be positive, the genetic heritage of a child in the context of human reproduction are increasingly being accepted in contemporary society. As a result, unnerving similarities between earlier selection ideology so central to the discredited eugenic regimes of the 20th century and those now on offer suggest that a new era of eugenics has dawned. The time is ripe, therefore, for considering and evaluating from an ethical perspective both current and future selection practices. This inter-disciplinary volume blends research from embryology, genetics, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and history. In so doing, it constructs a thorough picture of the procedures emerging from today’s reproductive developments, including a rigorous ethical argumentation concerning the possible advantages and risks related to the new eugenics. Calum MacKellar is Director of Research of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, Edinburgh, and Visiting Professor of Bioethics at St Mary’s University College, London, UK. Christopher Bechtel holds a degree in philosophy and is a Research Fellow with the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, Edinburgh, UK. Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgements......Page 7 A Note on the Text......Page 8 Abbreviations and Acronyms......Page 9 Introduction......Page 11 The History of Eugenics......Page 25 General Introduction to Eugenic Procedures......Page 45 General Ethical Discussion......Page 127 Arguments Supporting the New Eugenics......Page 130 Arguments Opposing the New Eugenics......Page 143 Conclusion......Page 194 Appendix I — Past and Present Personalities Supporting Eugenic Policies......Page 206 Appendix II — Scottish Council on Human Bioethics Recommendations on Eugenics......Page 215 Glossary......Page 217 Bibliography......Page 222 Index......Page 239