"How many ideas have there been in the history of mankind which were unthinkable ten years before and which, when their mysterious hour struck suddenly appeared, and spread all over the earth?

Ask any couple of child-rearing age and they will tell you how important it is to have healthy, intelligent children. Eugenics is defined by Jonas Robitscher in his book Eugenic Sterilization as "The science of improvement of the human race by better breeding...it is the Eugenicist's hope to create a society in which each child would be born with vigorous health and able mind through the propagation of those with desirable traits". It is safe to assume that the American culture as a whole believes that handicaps or severe aberrations in physical attributes are not ideals in procreation. Many consider genetic engineering to be a worthwhile solution to these aberrations. This is not such an unnatural idea and it leads to some interesting ethical questions. Could genetic engineering erase deformities, abolish disease, and even eliminate undesirable traits? This question is gaining a more resounding "yes!" with every passing decade. Geneticists now regularly advise young co

Unfortunately, the general public is very fearful of government agendas. No one feels safe with the knowledge that their government is practicing top secret procedures behind its back. A major argument used to refute eugenic ideals is the "slippery slope". This mentality basically says that while certain actions may seem rational, they can lead to other more dangerous actions (such as the sterilization of homosexuals). Any legislation of this nature would definitely cause some paranoia about government manipulation, secret conspiracies, etc. But if people were properly educated they would react favorably to these sort of changes. Of course, the legislation that would put these practice would also be obligated to set limits as to how extreme they may become.

What could happen, if this were left to the private sector, if such genetically engineered genes were sold to the public? Then the wealthier would be the ones with access and their children may have significant advantages over other children. This discrepancy would cause a lot of social problems as well as possibly creating distinct classes of people - the superior genetically enhanced and the inferior, diseased humans. Certainly, the solution would be a free implementation of genetic engineering; a basic public service.

Broberg, Gunn

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Approximate Word count = 876
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)