It’s now possible for would-be parents to choose the gender, hair and eye color of their offspring through in vitro fertilization. So why not eliminate dyslexia or tendencies toward depression or obesity when biogenetic science makes that possible as well? And what about tweaking genes to promote athletic prowess or musical talent? We talk with Dartmouth College ethicist Ronald M. Green, author of the book Babies by Design: The Ethics of Genetic Choice. Green believes people should be thinking now about the thorny reproductive choices ahead, because — like it or not, he says – these decisions will be part of our future. (Listen)
Also on the program, we talk with author Beth Kanell of Waterford. Her young adult novel, Darkness Under the Water, deals with Vermont’s own misguided foray into eugenics in the first half of the 20th Century, when it tried to prevent Abenaki women from reproducing. (Listen)