Advances in genetic made possible by the Human Genome Initiative will have a major impact on reproductive decisionmaking. Many couples will want to use genetic knowledge in making decisions to reproduce or to avoid reproduction. Others will want to avoid having to take genetic information into account. The extent to which they may or may not make reproductive decisions on the basis of genetic information, and the extent to which physicians, genetic counsellors, or government may force or constrain such choices, is the focus of this project. Building on the applicant's prior work on the meaning and scope of procreative liberty, the aim of this project is to (1) evaluate the extent to which ethical and legal concepts of procreative liberty entitle individuals/couples to use genetic knowledge to avoid offspring with genetic disease at premarital, preconception, preimplantation and prenatal stages of decisionmaking; (2) evaluated the extent to which ethical and legal concepts of procreative liberty entitle individuals/couples to ignore genetic knowledge in decisions to procreate, and thus risk producing offspring with genetic disease. Using traditional methods of ethical, legal and jurisprudential research, the project will produce a series of articles for legal, ethical, medical, and genetics journals on the topics addressed. An Advisory Committee of experts will review drafts of articles to assure accuracy and completeness.
| Robertson, J A (1995) Ethical and legal issues in human embryo donation. Fertil Steril 64:885-94 |
