New eugenics

New eugenics is a term applied to a range of perspectives and practices related to human enhancement and reproductive technologies, distinguished from historical eugenics by its purported emphasis on individual autonomy and choice rather than state-directed control. It encompasses a diverse array of views, spanning from support for genetic testing and counseling aimed at reducing the risk of inherited diseases to more controversial proposals involving preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for non-medical traits or even germline editing.

Distinguishing Features from Historical Eugenics:

Unlike historical eugenics movements, which were characterized by:

• State coercion: Policies enforced by governments to promote certain traits or prevent the reproduction of individuals deemed "undesirable."
• Racial and class biases: Often rooted in prejudiced assumptions about the superiority of certain groups.
• Crude methods: Utilizing methods such as forced sterilization and marriage restrictions based on limited understanding of genetics.

New eugenics proponents typically argue for:

• Individual autonomy: Emphasizing the rights of individuals and couples to make reproductive choices based on their own values and preferences.
• Informed consent: Requiring that individuals are fully informed about the risks and benefits of genetic technologies before making decisions.
• Focus on enhancement, not just disease prevention: Although many proponents emphasize preventing disease, the concept extends to enhancing cognitive or physical abilities.

Ethical Concerns and Criticisms:

Despite the emphasis on individual choice, new eugenics raises several ethical concerns, including:

• Potential for social inequalities: Concerns that access to enhancement technologies will be unevenly distributed, exacerbating existing social disparities.
• "Designer babies" and commodification of children: Worries about the potential for parents to select for specific traits in their children, leading to a perception of children as products.
• Disability rights: Criticisms that the focus on preventing disabilities may devalue the lives of people with disabilities and perpetuate ableist attitudes.
• Unintended consequences: Concerns about the long-term effects of genetic modifications on individuals and future generations.
• Defining "enhancement": The subjectivity of what constitutes a desirable trait and the potential for societal biases to influence these definitions.
• Slippery slope arguments: Arguments that seemingly benign interventions could lead to more radical and potentially harmful uses of genetic technologies.

Debate and Scope:

The term "new eugenics" is often used in debates about the ethical implications of rapidly advancing genetic and reproductive technologies. Some view it as a neutral descriptor, while others consider it a pejorative term, associating modern practices with the historical atrocities of eugenics. The scope of what falls under "new eugenics" is also debated, with some restricting it to germline editing and others including preimplantation genetic diagnosis and prenatal screening.