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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Adrienne Asch, PhD, MSW, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, 2495 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10040, 212-960-0834, asch@yu.edu

A variety of new and not-so-new reproductive technologies permit prospective parents to select for, or against, certain characteristics in their future children, and adherents of such selection celebrate these technologies as extensions of women's reproductive “choice.” This talk will argue that the interest in selecting children's characteristics is troubling even for those committed to a pro-choice position on reproductive freedom.

The appropriate response of a pro-choice critic of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, selective abortion after amniocentesis, or selecting gamete providers based on their physical characteristics and intelligence–—all different methods of selection–—is not to ban the practices but to urge health professionals and prospective parents to reflect more on their purposes in offering or using such selection technologies. In addition to providing an illusion of control over the shaping of future children, these technologies increase society's tendencies toward thinking of humans as the sum of their genetic endowments, and could decrease familial and societal willingness to respect and incorporate people who vary from a narrow group of acceptable traits. Such selectivity is arguably antithetical to ideals of parental love and to social inclusiveness in the moral community.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Differentiate between circumstances that interfere with reproductive choices and activities that promote new reproductive choices.
• Provide a framework for evaluating each specific reproductive technology.

Keywords: Reproductive Planning, Birth Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No