Choosing Impairment: Conflicting Interests
Abstract
The integration of reproductive genetic testing into clinical care presents both opportunities and challenges for parents in regards to shaping the lives of their future children. The relationship between parents and their future children has become more complex and new questions are being raised in relation to the extent of parental responsibility to future generations. This paper explores the ethical permissibility of using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select for impairment, through the use of two case studies involving identity-affecting decisions. Through analysing harm using both a personal and impersonal approach, it is concluded that if a couple, or single reproducer, have a choice between an impaired and healthy embryo, and that the same number of children would result from selection, there is a moral obligation for parents to select the ones which will have an acceptable level of interest fulfilment and a normal opportunity for health.
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