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The Flaws in Modern Eugenics

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Hassan 1

Hussein Hassan
Mr. Horn
AP Seminar
February 2 2015

The Perfect Human: The Flaws in Modern Eugenics
With global technologies rapidly advancing, specifically those based in the field of genetics, one might wonder where humanity is headed in terms of their offspring. The answer? Modern eugenics.
Francis Galton's eugenics, centered around forced sterilization and selective breeding to eliminate undesirable traits and foster the spread of more advantageous ones (Galton), is dead. However, the idea of focusing on one’s inherited genes to eliminate passed down diseases is alive and well, albeit in a more “modern” fashion. Is modern eugenics the right way of the future for humanity? To what extent should modern eugenics be viable?
Before ambitious genetic projects had begun, such as the Human Genome Project which mapped out the entirety of the human genome (Genome.gov), the only way to tamper with an individual’s genes was through their parents. Gregor Mendel earned the moniker “The Father of
Genetics” because of his experiments involving the breeding of plants in the mid 19th century
(Biography.com). However, modern eugenics focuses on the genes of child more than the parents through abortions and the genetic altering of the embryo to achieve the desired results. This can be achieved through a process called genetic screening, which observes an embryo’s chromosomes for any lapses or breaks (Galloway a). Embryo’s that show signs of a genetic disorders, such as Down

Hassan 2

Syndrome, SCID, or Sickle Cell Disease, are aborted in favor of an “unflawed” one. John Galloway, a writer for the Genetic Literacy Project, discusses this injustice:
Genetic screening, followed by the discarding of unwanted embryos (perceived as “flawed”) and implanting unflawed ones, denies life to an individual with a genetic disease in favour of an

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