Reprogenetics
From Freepedia
Reprogenetics is a term referring to the merging of reproductive and genetic technologies expected to happen in the near future as techniques like preimplantation genetic diagnosis become more available and more powerful. The term was coined by Lee M. Silver, a professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, in his 1997 book Remaking Eden.
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Definition
In Silver's formulation, reprogenetics will involve advances in a number of technologies not yet achieved, but not inherently impossible. Among these are improvements in interpreting the effects of different expressions of DNA, the ability to harvest large numbers of embryos from females, and a far higher rate of reinsertion of embryos into host mothers. The end result, according to Silver, is that those parents who can afford it will be able to pick out the genetic characteristics of their own children, which Silver says will trigger a number of social changes in the decades after its implementation. Possible early applications, however, might be closer to eliminating disease genes passed on to children.
According to Silver, the main differences between reprogenetics and eugenics, the "science" of improving the gene pool which in the first half of the twentieth century became infamous for the brutal policies it inspired, is that most eugenics programs were compulsory programs imposed upon citizens by governments trying to enact an ultimate goal. Reprogenetics, by contrast, would be pursued by individual parents, who would be trying to improve their children with the same motivations that compel them to purchase expensive courses in preparation for standardized testing (e.g. the SAT). The other contrast is that it is now known that the concept of genetic purity is misguided: genetic purity insofar as it is meaningful is effectively inbreeding and results in poor health and infertility. The end effect of both practices on the gene pool would be similar, such as reduced incidence of genetic disease and potentially increased genetic IQ.
Criticism
Skeptics believe that the latter is rendered less likely by the very great complexity of the genome with respect to intelligence (half of all genes are expressed somewhere in the brain), not to mention the environmental influences from conception to adulthood. They argue that genetic disease will never be eliminated, since mutations and chromosomal errors, e.g. Downs Syndrome will always arise. Furthermore, the heterozygote advantage means that elimination of a genetic disease may lower the fitness of the majority or at least a significant number of people; well meaning as it might be.
See also
References
- Lee M. Silver, Remaking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World (New York: Avon Books, 1997)
