Human Eugenics: Whose Perception of Perfection?

Abstract

SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME, man has been trying to figure out how to procreate the child-free of hereditary diseases, physical defects, and internal imperfections. Now, more than ever, that urge still exists. Today, however, the urge for perfection can be satisfied. The promise of a child beckons thousands of couples every year. The recent emergence of moder reproductive technologies and the revival of eugenics, the science of improving human hereditary qualities, are keeping fertility clinics and specialized centers busy. More people are turning toward the possibilities of Assisted Reproductive Technology. They hope to conceive a child of their own, or in some cases conceive a child with a predetermined gender and an embryo genetically screened for abnormalities. The idea of choosing a child's gender may have started in ancient Greece. Many centuries ago, the Greeks, particularly the Spartans, regarded the act of childbearing as extremely important. The constant warlike environment, a part of Spartan life, encouraged their women to conceive males in order to strengthen their army. Having the perfect military society1 was their dream, simply because today's infants would be tomorrow's soldiers.2 As a result of this thinking, genetics as a science entered Greek life and, consequently, Western thought. urces that can be used to initiate or enhance existing lessons and units in tory and social studies. The les ons are designed t encourage students to i k critically about turning points n history and to onduct research, erpret primary sources, and explor the larger historical significance of ics that interes them.