Download or read book Choosing Genes for Future Children written by Mark Henaghan and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Choosing Genes for Future Children written by Mark Henaghan and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is publicly funded in New Zealand from 2006. PGD poses a range of issues that have ongoing significance for other later emerging applications of genetic technologies arising from the sequencing of the human genome. The idea of the 'designer baby' is the most publicly proclaimed outcome of new developments in genetic medicine.
Download or read book Choosing Genes for Future Children written by Dana Wensley and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fact that embryos are specifically created for selection in the use of PGD entails their possible rejection. This, rather than the PGD activity itself, is thought by some to be objectionable as it is said to instrumentalise embryos. Equally, other arguments are used by opponents of PGD, for example that it may have negative effects on resultant children and that there may be risks to the child's physical and/or emotional status. The emotional risks would be the hardest to quantify but some believe that the power of choice put into the hands of parents by PGD could alter the parent/child relationship fundamentally from one of unconditional love to one dictated by the realisation (or not) of specific 'designer' expectations. There are a number of arguments against PGD. One of them is the 'Playing God' objection which is examined from the Christian viewpoints, and from the secular standpoint in terms of interfering with the natural order. The wide and differing range of views held by the general public on the status of the embryo and foetus cannot be ignored. New Zealand legislation already permits abortion and PGD on limited grounds, and so does not reflect the conservative view of the foetus although the limits imposed might be construed as opposing a completely liberal view. There are no conclusive arguments, nor is there any crucial evidence, which can resolve the differences in views from various accounts of the status of the human embryo and foetus. The question of whether PGD should or should not be permitted is ultimately not usefully addressed by seeking an answer to the question of the status of the human embryo or foetus. The moderate or 'gradualist' approach to the human embryo - an approach that sees the embryo as more than a mere collection of cells, but as less than a full person - is adopted in this report. This approach requires that the embryo of the human species is worthy of respect at all stages, but that certain interventions/treatments may be permissible at certain stages, with the limits of permissibility narrowing as the embryo/foetus nears maturity. Selecting embryos on the basis of their genetic status is a matter of considerable concern for many people - particularly those speaking for the disability rights community. Attitudes vary as to whether or not the availability of PGD to screen out genetic conditions will result in disrespecting people with disabilities or whether this use of PGD sends out a eugenics signal. Discussions about these issues in New Zealand are emerging. The New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders is open to the use of emerging genetic technologies for parents to choose to avoid the birth of children with disabilities. For the Crippled Children's Society, their focus has been to consider changing their constitution to emphasise that they celebrate the lives of people with disabilities. The place of people with disabilities and the impact of clinical advance on their position is sometimes seen to be somewhat marginalised, and surely deserves special protection. New Zealand does not have a Disability Rights Commission (as, for example, the UK does) although it has a Minister for Disability and an Office for Disability Issues. Additionally, even with a number of statutes relevant in this area (the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, Human Rights Act 1993, and Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994), New Zealand has no body directly responsible for issues that fall under the category of promoting good relations between people with disabilities and their communities. The bioethical analyses are informed by the Universal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights (UDBHR)25 which significantly focuses on the inter-relationship between bioethics and human rights, and helps shape thinking and reflection for both the process of developing policy and determining the content of policy. At the heart of the ethical analysis of PGD is the tension between, on one hand, individual freedom and privacy to make reproductive choices and, on the other hand, social solidarity and responsibility to ensure that human dignity is not eroded or undermined.
Download or read book Babies by Design written by Ronald M. Green and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Product Description: We stand on the brink of unprecedented growth in our ability to understand and change the human genome. New reproductive technologies now enable parents to select some genetic traits for their children, and soon it will be possible to begin to shape ourselves as a species. Despite the loud cries of alarm that such a prospect inspires, Ronald Green argues that we will, and we should, undertake the direction of our own evolution. A leader in the bioethics community, Green offers a scientifically and ethically informed view of human genetic self-modification and the possibilities it opens up for a better future. Fears of a terrible Brave New World or a new eugenics movement are overblown, he maintains, and in the more likely future, genetic modifications may improve parents' ability to enhance children's lives and may even promote social justice. The author outlines the new capabilities of genomic science, addresses urgent questions of safety that genetic interventions pose, and explores questions of parenting and justice. He also examines the religious implications of gene modification. Babies by design are assuredly in the future, Green concludes, and by making responsible choices as we enter that future, we can incorporate gene technology in a new age of human adventure.
Download or read book Heritable Human Genome Editing written by The Royal Society and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2021-01-16 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heritable human genome editing - making changes to the genetic material of eggs, sperm, or any cells that lead to their development, including the cells of early embryos, and establishing a pregnancy - raises not only scientific and medical considerations but also a host of ethical, moral, and societal issues. Human embryos whose genomes have been edited should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is established that precise genomic changes can be made reliably and without introducing undesired changes - criteria that have not yet been met, says Heritable Human Genome Editing. From an international commission of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.'s Royal Society, the report considers potential benefits, harms, and uncertainties associated with genome editing technologies and defines a translational pathway from rigorous preclinical research to initial clinical uses, should a country decide to permit such uses. The report specifies stringent preclinical and clinical requirements for establishing safety and efficacy, and for undertaking long-term monitoring of outcomes. Extensive national and international dialogue is needed before any country decides whether to permit clinical use of this technology, according to the report, which identifies essential elements of national and international scientific governance and oversight.
Download or read book Genetic Dilemmas written by Dena S. Davis and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What limits the genetic choices parents make for their children? Is it okay to select the sex of our children, or for deaf parents to select deaf children? In this second edition of Genetic Dilemmas, Davis argues that parental reproductive autonomy should be limited by respect for the future autonomy of the children created by these measures. Praise for the first edition: "A thoughtful, timely and comprehensive look at genetics in the modern era by a recognized scholar of both their legal and humanistic implications. An excellent read!" -R. Alta Charo, Professor of Law and Medical Ethics, University of Wisconsin- Madison. "Dena Davis has been the most consistent and important voice insisting that we take seriously the concept of each child's right to an open future, and what respecting that right would mean for new technologies in genetics and reproduction. This engaging new book is the work of a thoughtful and humane scholar, and deserves a broad readership." -Thomas H. Murray, President of The Hastings Center "Dena Davis offers an engaging, informative and provocative argument in Genetic Dilemmas. Her primary accomplishment is to draw much-needed attention to the interests of the child in reproductive decision-making...she has succeeded admirably." -Mary Terrell White, Medical Humanities Review "People now face a dizzying array of choices about reproduction-from sex selection to cloning, from prenatal screening to genetic enhancement. In this engaging and path-breaking book, Dena Davis intelligently and compassionately explores the often-ignored impact of these choices on the children that are created and the society in which they will be raised." -Lori Andrews, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Download or read book Designing Babies written by Robert Klitzman and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designing Babies examines the ethical, social, and policy concerns surrounding the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). Basing his analysis on in-depth interviews with providers and patients, Robert Klitzman provides vital insights, guidance, and specific policy recommendations for understanding and regulating these procedures.
Download or read book Redesigning Humans written by Gregory Stock and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2003 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing for the lay reader, Stock, the director of the Program on Medicine, Technology, and Society at the School of Public Health at UCLA, discusses the science, potential impact, and many controversies surrounding the development of germline engineering, which involves selectively altering human g
Download or read book Choosing Genes for Future Children written by Jeanne Snelling and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The assessment of legislative frameworks in this report is based on principles which are most likely to enable regulatory initiatives to be accepted by the general public as legitimate. These principles require that the regulatory framework must be proportionate to the perceived harms or risks posed to justify the imposition of regulatory limits. Regulators should have clear lines of accountability, in particular, their decisions must be justified and be subject to public scrutiny. There should be accessible, fair and effective complaints and appeals processes. Consistency in administering the regulation and in the regulation itself, and transparency in terms of what the regulatory objective is, and the legal obligations of those being regulated are essential. Finally, regulation must be precisely targeted to achieve its objective. In comparison to other regimes with similar regulatory structures, New Zealand is unique in that the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act (HART Act) establishes two statutory bodies with clear remits. New Zealand has therefore departed from the international trend of having one statutory authority that both creates and implements policy. Instead there are two bodies: an advisory committee which creates policy, and an ethics committee which assesses individual cases against the advisory committee's guidelines. The main benefit of this structure is that focusing solely on policy increases the efficiency of the Advisory Committee's policy-making process, both in terms of time and the expertise of those creating policy. New Zealand is different from the jurisdictions used here as comparators in that it has essentially de-regulated some aspects of assisted reproduction. There is little doubt that the HART Act 2004 was a necessary legislative initiative. The framework sets up affordable, efficient and responsive processes, and is supported in terms of health and safety aspects by other health law instruments. New Zealand is renowned for its thorough investigation of issues surrounding the implementation of novel technologies as was seen in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Genetic Modification. There is, however, a comparative dearth of research investigating issues surrounding individual perceptions, experiences, and attitudes relating to new human assisted reproductive technologies. Caution should be exercised before directly applying the findings or knowledge arising from research investigating public groups overseas to the New Zealand situation. The creation of fair and relevant criteria with which to evaluate public views is extremely difficult and has in the past resulted in the marginalising of relevant groups, such as children and people with disabilities. This, coupled with the consultation requirement built into the HART Act, highlights the importance of specific social and ethical research into assisted reproduction in New Zealand. Such research will greatly enhance the level of ethical debate and also the value and durability of policy and legislation in these areas. When there are strongly held positions on either side of a debate such as there is on preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), a common situation in a democracy is to go with the majority view. However, the meaning of democracy needs refinement and the following comment from H.L.A. Hart, the Oxford legal philosopher, gives us pause for reflection: “It seems feasibly easy to believe that democratic principles entails acceptance of what may be termed moral populism: the view that the majority have a moral right to dictate how all should live...The central mistake is a failure to distinguish the acceptable principle that political power is best entrusted to the majority from the unacceptable claim that what the majority do with that power is beyond criticism and must never be resisted. No one can be a democrat who does not accept the first of these, but no democrat need accept the second”. At present, PGD has the most dramatic impact on a small minority of families. Their voices and concerns can easily be lost. This report critiques majority positions which unjustifiably or inconsistently erode family choices.
Download or read book Choosing Children written by Jonathan Glover and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2008-01-10 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Progress in genetic and reproductive technology now offers us the possibility of choosing what kinds of children we do and don't have. Should we welcome this power, or should we fear its implications? There is no ethical question more urgent than this: we may be at a turning-point in the history of humanity. The renowned moral philosopher and best-selling author Jonathan Glover shows us how we might try to answer this question, and other provoking and disturbing questions to which it leads. Surely parents owe it to their children to give them the best life they can? Increasingly we are able to reduce the number of babies born with disabilities and disorders. But there is a powerful new challenge to conventional thinking about the desirability of doing so: this comes from the voices of those who have these conditions. They call into question the very definition of disability. How do we justify trying to avoid bringing people like them into being? In 2002 a deaf couple used sperm donated by a friend with hereditary deafness to have a deaf baby: they took the view that deafness is not a disability, but a difference. Starting with the issues raised by this case, Jonathan Glover examines the emotive idea of 'eugenics', and the ethics of attempting to enhance people, for non-medical reasons, by means of genetic choices. Should parents be free, not only to have children free from disabilities, but to choose, for instance, the colour of their eyes or hair? This is no longer a distant prospect, but an existing power which we cannot wish away. What impact will such interventions have, both on the individuals concerned and on society as a whole? Should we try to make general improvements to the genetic make-up of human beings? Is there a central core of human nature with which we must not interfere? This beautifully clear book is written for anyone who cares about the rights and wrongs of parents' choices for their children, anyone who is concerned about our human future. Glover handles these uncomfortable questions in a controversial but always humane and sympathetic manner.
Download or read book The Gene Machine written by Bonnie Rochman and published by Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sharp-eyed exploration of the promise and peril of having children in an age of genetic tests and interventions Is screening for disease in an embryo a humane form of family planning or a slippery slope toward eugenics? Should doctors tell you that your infant daughter is genetically predisposed to breast cancer? If tests revealed that your toddler has a genetic mutation whose significance isn’t clear, would you want to know? In The Gene Machine, the award-winning journalist Bonnie Rochman deftly explores these hot-button questions, guiding us through the new frontier of gene technology and how it is transforming medicine, bioethics, health care, and the factors that shape a family. Rochman tells the stories of scientists working to unlock the secrets of the human genome; genetic counselors and spiritual advisers guiding mothers and fathers through life-changing choices; and, of course, parents (including Rochman herself) grappling with revelations that are sometimes joyous, sometimes heartbreaking, but always profound. She navigates the dizzying and constantly expanding array of prenatal and postnatal tests, from carrier screening to genome sequencing, while considering how access to more tests is altering perceptions of disability and changing the conversation about what sort of life is worth living and who draws the line. Along the way, she highlights the most urgent ethical quandary: Is this technology a triumph of modern medicine or a Pandora’s box of possibilities? Propelled by human narratives and meticulously reported, The Gene Machine is both a scientific road map and a meditation on our power to shape the future. It is a book that gets to the very core of what it means to be human.
Download or read book Born Well Prenatal Genetics and the Future of Having Children written by Megan A. Allyse and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-11-24 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together an international collection of experts in reproductive ethics, law, disability studies, and medicine to explore the challenging future of reproduction and children. From the medical to the social and from the financial to the legal, the authors explore the expanding impact of reproductive genetics on our society. New advances in genetic technologies are revolutionizing the practice of reproductive medicine. We have expanded our ability to detect genetic changes in embryos and fetuses in ways that potentially allow to identify, treat, or prevent a growing range of diseases. The development of gene-editing technologies raises questions about the possibility of removing disease-causing variants from embryos before pregnancy implantation. The growing sophistication of prenatal genomic sequencing offers us glimpses into the whole genome of the developing fetus. And, the increasingly sophisticated science of 'gene matching' allows us greater and greater foreknowledge of how the genomes of two individuals will combine in a future child. This is an indispensable book on the newest developments in bioethics caused by the sciences. Chapter 5 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Download or read book Regulating Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in the United States written by M. Bayefsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reproductive technology allows us to test embryos' genes before deciding whether to transfer them to a woman's uterus. Embryo selection raises many ethical questions but is virtually unregulated in the United States. This comprehensive study considers the ethical, medical, political, and economic aspects of developing appropriate regulation.
Download or read book Genetic Responsibility written by Mack Lipkin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The "Genetics, Man, and Society" symposium was a collaborative effort of the Task Force on Genetics and Reproduction at Yale University and the Youth Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (A. A. A. S. ). The Task Force on Genetics and Reproduction at Yale is a voluntary, inter-professional organization engaged in examination of ethical and social implications of medical and basic genetics. It is similar in purpose to the Hastings Institute of Society, Ethics, and Life Sciences and the Kennedy Center for the Study of Bioethics at Georgetown. The Youth Council of A. A. A. S. was a committee of the A. A. A. S. concerned with problems of young persons. The Youth Council had significant impact on the A. A. A. S. through the constitutional reform and a number of innovative programs including the Congressional Fellows and Regional Centers Program, and the Committees on Minorities and Women. The symposium was initially conceived by William Drayton and Richard A. Tropp and was arranged by us. The Task Force took primary responsibility for format and for selecting and inviting speakers. The Youth Council made the arrangements, raised the necessary funds and represented the organizers for post-symposium use of the materials including printed and taped publications. This volume contains the edited proceedings of the symposium plus the editors' perspective on it.
Download or read book Assessing Genetic Risks written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1994-01-01 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.
Download or read book Redesigning Humans written by Gregory Stock and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cloning and genetic engineering are here now and cannot be stopped. Far from being terrified we should celebrate these new technologies for making a better future, argues Gregory Stock
Download or read book The Unnatural Selection of Our Species written by Torill Kornfeldt and published by Lindhardt og Ringhof. This book was released on 2024-07-09 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2018, the first genetically modified children were born. Now we have the tools to reshape the future of our species. With a pair of genetic scissors known as CRISPR, we can select the traits of our children, avoid ageing, or cure disease. With that ability comes new risks, forcing us to face hard ethical questions. Torill Kornfeldt has travelled the world to meet the people driving this research forward. She has visited fertility clinics in South Korea, oncologists in China who are experimenting on sick patients, and biohackers in the US who want to make the new technology available to everyone. In The Unnatural Selection of Our Species, she asks: How can we handle these new tools that could change our genetic material? 'Well written, knowledgeable, and engaging – exactly how really good popular science is supposed to be' Gustav Källstrand, Nobel Centre Torill Kornfeldt is a Swedish science journalist with a background in biology. She has worked in the science department of Sweden's leading morning newspaper Dagens Nyheter and at the science branch of the Swedish public radio. There she created the successful radio show Tekniksafari (Tech Safari) on new technology changing society. Her main focus is on how emerging bioengineering and technology will shape our future.
