Abstract
When it comes to the governance of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and repro-genetics technologies, how should justice considerations be taken into account? This chapter explores this question from three perspectives: the interest in having children, in having ‘healthy’ children, and in having genetically-related children. In each of these contexts, the chapter explores challenges that would require particular attention to considerations of justice. First, what does justice require in terms of public funding for infertility treatment? And what are the justice implications of investing public funds in creating more children in a world that already struggles to provide for existing populations? Second, what understanding of ‘health’ is applied when we consider the just governance of repro-genetic technologies that allow us to select, or even shape, the identity of prospective children? How should we account for the treatment-enhancement distinction, and for the definition of ‘serious’ disease? Third, what does justice require of us when it comes to the cultural forces that favor genetic-relatedness? How should we negotiate respect for individual reproductive autonomy, while accounting for the way individual parental choices feed into cultural norms that potentially devalue families who are not genetically-related? These issues demonstrate the profound complexity of the governance landscape created by these technologies, and invite us to reflect on how we wish to move forward as a society, to promote equity, diversity and inclusion.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
That is why I put this concept in quotes to denote its possible ambiguity and the inability to assume we all agree on its meaning.
References
Baylis, F. (2019). Altered inheritance: CRISPR and the ethics of human genome editing. Harvard University Press.
Blankmeyer Burke, T. (2017). Gene therapy: A threat to the deaf community? Impact Ethics, March 2, 2017. At: https://impactethics.ca/2017/03/02/gene-therapy-a-threat-to-the-deaf-community/
Cyranoski, D. (2019). Russian ‘CRISPR-baby’ scientist has started editing genes in human eggs with the goal of altering the deaf gene. Nature, 18 October 2019. At: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03018-0
De Melo Martin, I. (2014). Is there a right to know one’s genetic origins? Hastings Center Report, 44(2), 28–35.
Dupras-Leduc, R., Birko, S., & Ravitsky, V. (2018). Mitochondrial/nuclear transfer: A literature review of the ethical, legal and social issues. Canadian Journal of Bioethics, 1(2), 1–17.
Glenn Cohen, I., Adashi, E. Y., & Ravitsky, V. (2019). How bans on germline editing deprive patients with mitochondrial disease. Nature Biotechnology. Published online May 20, 2019.
Kleiderman, E., Ravitsky, V., & Knoppers, B. M. (2020, February 7). The “serious” factor – a relevant starting point for further debate: A response. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46, 153–155.
Maldovsky, P., & Sorenson, C. (2010). Public funding of IVF: A review of policy rationales. Health Care Analysis, 18, 113–128.
McLeod, C. (2017). The medical nonnecessity of in vitro fertilization. IJFAB: International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 10(1), 78–102.
Nisker, J. (2008). Distributive justice and infertility treatment in Canada. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 39(5), 425–431.
Normile, D. (2019). Chinese scientist who produced genetically altered babies sentenced to 3 years in jail. Science, Dec 30, 2019. At: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/chinese-scientist-who-produced-genetically-altered-babies-sentenced-3-years-jail
Panitch, V. (2013). Assisted reproduction and distributive justice. Bioethics, 29(2), 108–117.
Papazoglou, A. 2019. Is it cruel to have kids in the era of climate change? The New Republic, February 25, 2019. At: https://newrepublic.com/article/153149/cruel-kids-era-climate-change
Parens, E., & Asch, A. (1999). The disability rights critique of prenatal genetic testing – Reflections and recommendations. A Special Supplement to the Hastings Center Report, 29, S2.
Peterson, M. M. (2005). Assisted reproductive technologies and equity of access issues. Journal of Medical Ethics, 31, 280–285.
Quigley, M. (2010). A right to reproduce? Bioethics, 24(8), 403–411.
Ravitsky, V. (2010). ‘Knowing where you come from’: The rights of donor-conceived individuals and the meaning of genetic relatedness. Minnesota Journal of Law Science & Technology, 11(2), 655–684.
Ravitsky, V. (2014). Autonomous choice and the right to know one’s genetic origins. Hastings Center Report, 44(2), 36–37.
Ravitsky, V., Nguyen, M. T., Birko, S., Kleiderman, E., Laberge, A. M., & Knoppers, B. M. (2019). Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): The Road Forward in Canada. Canadian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 41(1), 68–71.
Ravitsky, V., Birko, S. Z., Le Clerc-Blain, J., Haidar, H., Dupras, C., Lemoine, M.-E., & Laberge, A.-M. (2020). Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing: Canadian views regarding associated pressures and societal concerns. AJOB (American Journal of Bioethics) Empirical Bioethics. In press.
Robertson, J. A. (1994). Children of choice: Freedom and the new reproductive technologies. Princeton University Press.
Tucker, B. P. (1998). Deaf culture, cochlear implants, and elective disability. Hastings Center Report, 28, 6–14.
United Nations. (1948). General Assembly. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 10 Dec (1948), article 27.
United Nations. (1966.) Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 16 Dec (1966), article 12.
Warnock, M. (2002). Making babies: Is there a right to have children? Oxford University Press.
Wertz, D. C., & Knoppers, B. M. (2002). Serious genetic disorders: Can or should they be defined? American Journal of Medical Genetics, 108, 29–35.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ravitsky, V. (2021). Parenthood, Repro-Genetics, and Justice. In: Tham, J., Garcia Gómez, A., Lunstroth, J. (eds) Multicultural and Interreligious Perspectives on the Ethics of Human Reproduction. Religion and Human Rights, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86938-0_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86938-0_24
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-86937-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-86938-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)