QotD: Genetic Modification

The libertarian argument for genetic enhancement is that parents should be free to choose what's best for the children. Rarely considered is the possibility that some might define "best" in ways that are not only peculiar but harmful. Even leaving aside oddballs who may want their child to be a cat person, what if some people decided to breed submissive females — or boys genetically purged of competitiveness, aggressiveness, and other macho traits?

What's more, the choices may not be entirely free. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which the state determines each child's genetic programming, is an unlikely future. But what about more subtle coercion? Suppose we get to the point where genetic intervention, or chemical brain modification for those already born, can reduce the risk of criminal behavior. Could parents be charged with negligence if they reject such procedures and their child commits a crime? Could a teenager with antisocial tendencies be forced to undergo the treatment? What about the scenario depicted in the film Gattaca, in which the unenhanced become an underclass, and prospective parents face tremendous social pressure to genetically engineer their children?

Cathy Young, "A Guide for the Modern Prometheus", Reason Online, 2006-07-11