Scientific breakthroughs have led us to a point where soon we will be
able to make specific choices about the genetic makeup of our offspring.
In fact, this reality has arrived--and it is only a matter of time
before the technology becomes widespread.
Much like past arguments about stem-cell research, the coming debate
over these reproductive genetic technologies (RGTs) will be both
political and, for many people, religious. In order to understand how
the debate will play out in the United States, John H. Evans conducted
the first in-depth study of the claims made about RGTs by religious
people from across the political spectrum, and Contested Reproduction
is the stimulating result.
Some of the opinions Evans documents are familiar, but others--such as
the idea that certain genetic conditions produce a "meaningful
suffering" that is, ultimately, desirable--provide a fascinating glimpse
of religious reactions to cutting-edge science. Not surprisingly, Evans
discovers that for many people opinion on the issue closely relates to
their feelings about abortion, but he also finds a shared moral language
that offers a way around the unproductive polarization of the abortion
debate and other culture-war concerns. Admirably evenhanded, Contested
Reproduction is a prescient, profound look into the future of a
hot-button issue.