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BIO 101 Eugenics Presentation - Designer Babies
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EUGENICS
Liz Axberg, Jovan Young, Jacob Rood
What Is Eugenics?
Definition
- Study of or belief in improving qualities of the human species
- Discourages reproduction by people with undesirable genes or traits
- Encourgaes reproduction by people with desirable traits
How Does It Work?
Steps
There are many different aspects of eugenics, each with its own method. Some of the most prominent methods of eugenics include genetic engineering of embryos, sterilization, and abortion
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Editing Embryos
- inserts a gene snipping enzyme into embryo
- enzyme contains a molecule that targets specific DNA sequences
- molecule cuts out pieces of DNA sequence and rewrites it
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Sterilization
- people (in most cases women) have abnormal/undesirable genes
- genetic disorders
- mental illnesses
- women are sterilized so they can't pass on the genes
- ultimate goal is to kill off the genetic trait/abnormality
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Abortion
- disorder shows up in fetus during sonogram
- woman has abortion to prevent child from being born with disorder
- subsequently, preventing line of bad genes from being passed on to future generations
Build-A-Baby
Designer Babies
There is a method where you can pay to have the genes of your unborn baby altered in order to create your perfect child. It is possible to select the gender, the appearance, the intelligence, and even the personality of the baby before it is born. This could greatly reduce the number of genetic disorders in the gene pool as well as pave the way towards greater genetic varaince since a baby could potentially be born carrying genes that neither of its parents carry
Humans
- IVF
- Egg donation
- Cancer treatment
Animals
- breeding dogs and cats
- making new patterns for turtles/snakes
Plants
- making larger fruits and vegetables
- making foods with no seeds inside
- creating different colored flowers
Other Uses
Examples
US History
- Over 60,000 people sterilized in the 1960s under eugenics laws
- Activists argued that reproductive surgery was necessary in order to stop the flow of deleterious genes into the population
- Supreme Court made a ruling in 1927 allowing people to be forcibly sterilized if they were deemed "unfit to procreate"
Media/Film
- Brave New World by Alduos Huxley takes place in a society that alters fetuses in order to create a rigid social caste system
- The film GATTACA features instances of eugenics in order to create the most genetically superior population
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpzVFdDeWyo
Forced Sterilization
Forced Sterilization
Example based on real events
A woman was forcibly sterilized in 1950 due to eugenics laws for being mentally deficient. The woman's mother gave consent for her to be sterilized.
Nazism
- Hitler used a form of eugenics during the Holocaust
- America forcibly sterilized Native Peoples , Latina women, and African-American women as well as men and women with mental disabilities in an attempt to protect society from harmful genes
Discrimination Concerns
- "Ugly people shouldn't be allowed to have kids"
- "Only intelligent people or artistic/musical people should have children"
- Only the elite can afford to manipulate genes of their unborn babies
- Poor people and/or other minorities could be forcibly sterilized
Ethical Concerns
References
References
- Bindel, J. (2014, October 03). Designer babies?. Retrieved November 09, 2017,
from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/03/sperm-donot-lawsuit-racism-eugenics-lesbian-couple-black-donor
- Gattaca. (2009, May). Retrieved November 09, 2017, from http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/gattaca/
- Gregory, P. (2014, March 10). The Eugenic Value of Birth Control Propoganda. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from
https://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/webedition/app/documents/show.php?sangerDoc=238946.xml
- C. (so16, May 06). IVF and Eugenics. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from
https://qz.com/677335/by-the-year-2040-embryo-selection-will-replace-sex-as-the-way-most-of-us-make-babies/
- Obasogie, O. K. (2013, October 04). Commentary: The Eugenics Legacy of the Nobelist Who Fathered IVF. Retrieved November 09,
2017, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/eugenic-legacy
- Square, Z. P. (2016, January 07). That Time The United States Sterilized 60,000 Of Its Citizens. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sterilization-united-states_us_568f35f2e4b0c8beacf68713
- Sullivan, D. (2016, January 01). Gene Editing and Designer Babies-Why the Future Desperately Needs. Retrieved 09, 2017, from
https://answeringgenesis.org/genetics/gene-editing-and-designer-babies-why-future-desperately-needs-us/
- The Supreme Court Ruling That Led To 70,000 Forced Sterilizations. (2016, March 07). Retreived November 09, 2017, from
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations