McGILL SPEAKER CONDEMNS NEW ‘EUGENICS’

MONTREAL, October 10, 2002 (LSN.ca) – In a third installment of National Post op-eds in connection with the McGill conference on Pluralism, Religion and Public Policy, Margaret Somerville, a professor at McGill’s Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, condemns “new genetics” which she says “is functioning as eugenics.”“Decisions by individuals based on preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of IVF embryos, or prenatal screening of foetuses,” she says, “mean we will eliminate certain groups of people, for example, Down’s syndrome children, from our society.”“Intense individualism leads to claims of rights to ‘absolute reproductive freedom’,” she says, “that is, claims that decisions about reproduction are no one else’s business—especially not the state’s business to interfere with through law—and one should be absolutely free to reproduce in whatever way and reproduce whatever kind of child one wishes. That is an adult-centred reproductive decision-making model. But should the decision-making be, rather, future child-centred, especially when there is a conflict between what is best for the future parents and for the future child?”“We should remember,” she adds, “that the ethical tone of a society is set by how it treats its weakest, most in need, most vulnerable members, not those who are powerful, able and can protect themselves. What ethical tone will we hand on to our near and far-distant descendants, especially regarding respect for human life?”  To read the full column see:  https://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id={6660E155-C7E8-4EBE-96C9-39F27930B1C7}