Beyond Abortion: Human Genetics and the New Eugenics
![handle is hein.journals/pepplr18 and id is 493 raw text is: Beyond Abortion: Human Genetics and
the New Eugenics
And God Blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply.
-Genesis 1:28
I. INTRODUCTION
The promise of genetic science, particularly human genetic engi-
neering, appeals to that in humans which strives for perfection -
perfection in oneself, one's life, one's children. Genetic manipulation
offers the dream of controlling disease,1 extending life,2 and provid-
ing one's offspring with super-human strength, intelligence, and
beauty.3 There is, however, an unsettling discomfort that manipulat-
ing life is indulging in a hubris that will eventually destroy human-
ity. By creating wholly unknown life forms, it is feared scientists
may inadvertently unleash plagues of incurable disease. A new dis-
crimination may emerge where genetically superior humans have
greater entitlements than those whose genes are inferior.4 History
provides horrific examples of despots who would abuse the eugenic5
power of genetic engineering to create a master race. Some see a fu-
ture of loathsome monsters, constructed from the genetic material of
variant species, mixing plants, animals, microbes, and even humans.
Should such fears prove unfounded, there is a lingering uneasiness
that tampering with the essence of life is somehow unholy, that there
is an inherent evil in made-to-order life.
This Article examines the bioethical, moral and legal implications
of using genetic sciences, including human genetic engineering, in a
new, already emerging eugenics. Section II describes genetic engi-
1. PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION FOR THE STUDY OF ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN MEDICINE
AND BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIOR RESEARCH, SPLICING LIFE 42 (1982) [hereinafter
SPLICING LIFE].
2. See Begley, Outsmart Your Genes, Be Young Forever, NEWSWEEK, Jan. 7, 1991,
at 49.
3. Rosenkranz, Custom Kids and the Moral Duty to Genetically Engineer Our
Children, 2 HIGH TECH. L.J. 1, 1 (1987).
4. See infra notes 178-91 and accompanying text.
5. For a definition of eugenics, see infra notes 51-54 and accompanying text.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/pepplr18&div=30&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Beyond Abortion: Human Genetics and the New Eugenics
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