Joel Michael Reynolds, PCCB faculty member, Kennedy Institute of Ethics senior scholar, associate professor of Philosophy and Disability Studies and director of the Disability Studies Program, was quoted in a December 23 story on Radio France on the emergence of “genetic optimization” as a mechanism being sold to expectant parents who are using in vitro fertilization. The story profiles a company that provides “analysis” of embryos for the purpose of “optimizing” parents’ choices.

From the story:

Nucleus Genomics launched a major advertising campaign this fall, with posters in the New York subway: “Have the best baby .” Professor Joel Michael Reynolds argues that this promise is absurd. “The idea that parenthood is about having the best possible baby is completely backwards,” explains the ethics expert at Georgetown University. “The goal of parenthood is to be the best parent you can be. The idea that you can predict the course of life through genetics is completely wrong. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how human life works.”