Cluster Assignment: Ethics, Politics, and Genetic Knowledge by Robert P. George

Biomedical Research: What role should ethics play?

Ethics, Politics, and Genetic Knowledge by Robert P. George

1. What do you suppose George means when he states that “genetic knowledge… is intrinsically valuable”?
   1. I think George means that life has the utmost importance and that genetic knowledge helps prove that. I also believe he is referring to the human belief that knowledge is what we as human seek, that it defines who we are; knowledge seekers.
2. George is skeptical of those who insist they would restrict their research to blastocysts, saying “this is bound to change.” On what grounds, if any, does he rest that claim? How convincing is it, in your opinion?
   1. George’s argument is a fallacy called the slippery slope argument. He is arguing that once a person decides its okay to kill (his wording) a blastocyst then they would be okay to kill the next step in development a gestating embryo or even an early stage infant. The next step he implies is that this will lead to the de-valuing of the lives of the handicapped or disabled. His claim is not supported by evidence that researchers will come to endorse unlawful actions as a result of their acceptance of lawful ones. He needs to show how and why they would get from point blastocyst to condoning infanticide.
3. What is problematic about pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of embryos, according to George? What, if anything, might be done to keep this practice from becoming exploitive?
   1. George believes that all life is worthy and that people with belief that PGD embryos can be screened will translate that belief to an infant in development if it has been diagnosed as ‘unworthy’. He advocates an alliance between pro-life supporters (anti-abortion) groups and advocates of justice for the handicapped. Education of what exactly PGD is and why it is performed would help it from being carried over to infanticide. These groups are known for the extremism, I would advocate looking at laws from other countries and seeing if they can be applied here.
4. How well does George support his assertions regarding genetic knowledge? That is, how compelling is his evidence? What other kinds of evidence, if any, might he have used to develop his argument?
   1. His article is very biased and appeals to emotion more than using logic and authority. For example with the PGD argument he could have explained exactly why it was used and the guidelines that they use. The main reason for PGD is not to go through a pregnancy and not deliver a baby because of chromosomal issues. It is to select the embryo with the greatest chance of survival and implantation.
   2. With his slippery slope argument if he could give a plausible mechanism explaining why we would be likely to go down that slope such as a precedent, following the crowd examples, ignorance, history, group rationality, etc.
   3. I would have liked to see him refute the oppositions position with a stronger position and facts.