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This is an excellent debate topic that will generate plenty of responses, both pro and con. There are also a number of issues that are tangential to the topic that can also provide food for thought. I'll dive right in and say that genetic screening when used as a tool to combat disease is a good thing. Problems arise when we contemplate genetic engineering for purposes other than reducing the incidence of disease, such as genetic enhancement of the population, or for vanity purposes such as eye color or gender selection.

I think the fundamental issue we face when considering the question is "if we have the technology, how can we ensure that it is not used for unsavory purposes?" Historically, people have shown a tendency to hijack technology, using benign inventions for doing harm. Several hundred years ago, we learned to work with iron instead of stone; how long was it before the first blacksmith turned his attention from the plow to the sword? More recently, we harnessed the atom, generating plenty of energy, which is good. But Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project quickly turned that positive technology into a potent weapon. Those who vote "yes" on this issue take the first step in developing ideas that can have fundamental ramifications for how we reproduce as a species.

The question of whether or not to use genetic screening to combat genetic diseases appears straightforward at first glance: what parent would not use any tool available to make sure his or her child is as healthy as possible? But there are critical subtexts we must consider. Once we start down this road, how can we stop people from using the technology to screen for gender, say, or for any other marker that might suit the parents' fancy.

Taken one step further, let's consider for a moment what happens if we approve genetic screening, and a child tests positive for whatever significant defect you wish to name. At least until gene therapy moves out of the science fiction novels and into the common practice of medicine, won't a failed genetic screening put pressure on parents to terminate the pregnancy?

I'll stipulate that a discussion of abortion's morality is beyond the scope of this topic, and simply conclude with an explanation why I think the right answer for this debate topic is "yes." I believe that, in spite of the risks and ethical hurdles involved, we ought to explore the tools that medical science makes available to us, the better to make an informed decision about the ethical issues involved and the best way to move forward.

Learn more about this author, William Lhamon.
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