Gene
Selection
Chance or choice?
For millions of years humans have reproduced through the mating of
male and female, resulting in the union of sperm and egg. This way
the genetic make-up of a child is left to chance. Today, technology
has given humans more options. Soon we will have the tools to reduce
the chance factor, allowing parents to choose some of the traits of
a child.
Choosing the traits
If you had a serious genetic disorder, you might
not want to pass the gene for that trait to your children. If you
knew what each gene controlled and could choose which genes to pass
on, would you control only disease-carrying genes? What about selecting
genes for eye-color or muscle mass or intelligence? In the future
parents may be able to choose many of a child's genetic traits.
Pros
& Cons
You might not want to pass a genetic disease
on to your children. However, if you could choose one trait,
why not choose all of the traits of your child?
¨ Should we allow the selection of genes to eliminate diseases
or disorders?
¨ If you could select your child's sex, would you choose
a boy or a girl? Why?
¨ Should we allow the selection of genes to make "perfect"
children?
Can you think of other issues? How do you think our ability
to select genes will impact the future of human evolution?
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