EUGENICS
Eugenics is the study of human heredity that aims at improving the genetic quality of the human stock.
FUNCTIONS
1. Eugenics is designed to improve the genetic make-up of the human race.
2. It is practiced in order to improve the physical, intellectual, fitness, and temperament, reduction of heritable defects and other moral qualities of the human race through breeding.
3. It helps diagnose genetic problems before birth.
PROS AND CONS OF EUGENICS
Ø The practice of eugenics is costly and as such it creates classes between the human populations. For example; it creates a gap between the rich and the poor.
Ø Eugenics restricts the freedom of individuals to reproduce.
Ø Eugenics could help doctors to diagnose diseases at an early stage of development thereby allowing them to correct the disease or any deformities before birth.
Ø Eugenics disturbs the natural genetic order; careless use of genes can lead to disastrous outcomes. Making everyone’s genetic makeup identical to prevent disease it will shrink the gene pool that will lead to more genetic problems.
Ø The pro-eugenics argue that eugenics is a form of parenting and that we do not have the right to tell people how to raise their children. A parent has total responsibility to a child and has the ability to make decisions for the child. Therefore a parent has the right to use genetics to help their child as they see fit.
Ø Eugenics will also lead to discrimination of disabled persons and that it will lead to parents striving to make the perfect genetic child.
Ø Eugenics provides great hope to people that have afflicting diseases and disabling traits.
APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS ON EUGENICS
1. AUTONOMY (RESPECT)
Controlling the human population by deciding who gets to produce and who does not based on genes is not good as it violates other potential human beings right to reproduce. Nobody has the right or power to determine whether people can reproduce or not. The practice of eugenics does not respect people’s rights to choice of reproducing their desired traits rather it forces people to go through sterilization so that certain people of desired traits can be left to reproduce. Everyone has a right to reproduce; trying to improve the genetic (quality) make-up of a human being is just disrespecting the human being, disrespect for the relationships of the family and or society, as people would have no right to choose whom they want to have children with. Certain eugenics practices such as cloning would seem to have the potential to increase inequality by increasing the proportion of the population which has more valued qualities and by decreasing the proportion that has less valued qualities. An afflicted embryo also has the same right to be treated as a fully grown human being.
2. DO GOOD
Natural selection has made humans evolve to what they are therefore using governmental threats to force a decision on them would be bad eugenics. Nature should be allowed to take its own cause. On the other hand allowing parents to make their own decisions based on the best available information and their natural desire for a healthy family life is good eugenics. Eugenics should not harm individuals anyhow, be it physically, mentally or socially. Eugenics should benefit all the members of the public if at all it were to be practiced forcefully, it should emphasize kindness and goodness.
3. DO NOT HARM
Eugenics has a powerful potential to do good and it also has a powerful potential to do harm, if done in the wrong way. Eugenics in one way or the other inflicts pain, suffering, death or loss of freedom to those people who are forced to go through it as well as those who are denied the right to reproduce. It causes emotional and psychological hardships, and even at times physical pain may be inflicted if the people do not want to go through the practice of eugenics. Eugenics should prevent harm and promote good traits.
4. JUSTICE
The injustice of the distribution of burdens and benefits is evident as groups of people whose genes are not wanted, and also the people who go through involuntary sexual segregation, stigmatization and denigration, sterilization, and even murder pays the price in this practice of eugenics. Selective breeding results in long term prejudice. Antagonistic opinions and already formed personal views are produced because scientists select who, and what kind of people should be reproducing. People tend to judge individuals who are chosen to continue breeding as well as those who are not chosen to continue breeding, and thus it is not fair especially to the people who are not chosen to breed. Eugenic practices would lead to some people being stigmatized. It is therefore not fair for people to be forced to separate just for the sake of betterment of their genetic make-up.
MY PERSONAL VIEW ON EUGENICS
I am against the issue of eugenics. I see eugenics as a morally wrong act, as it forces people to undergo circumstances. If people chose to do it personally then there should be no problem with eugenics that is to say if it was used to give willing parents options. I think all eugenics should be banned because they violate human’s rights and promote discrimination against other people who are forced to undergo these practice and those who are set aside because of their bad traits, thereby denying them a chance to produce offsprings of their own characteristics. I believe that nature should be left to take its own cause. Nobody has the right to change any natural features of the human being. Every human being has a right to life and right to freedom.
REFERENCES
Accessed on 13/10/11 [Online]
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ReplyDeleteAs u mentioned about the benefits of eugenics, I think it can be very good to diagnose genetic problems before birth and help in other scientific aspect.Development in science has its own difficulties and problems,but we need to be careful about them rather than ignoring the hole concept.
ReplyDeletewell done, clearly understandable
ReplyDelete