ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the basic philosophical issues while exploring the ethics of the new genetic, stem cell, and birth technologies. The experimental technique, called GRNOPC1, involved injecting cells obtained from human embryos. An injection involved two million cells stimulated to develop into myelinated glial cells. The goal is to have the cells insulate the nerve cells of the spinal cord. The chapter concerns whether interventions in genetics and birth technologies push the limits of human authority to manipulate or rationalize the basics of human nature. Autosomal dominant conditions such as Huntington's disease, retinoblastoma, and neurofibromatosis express themselves if only a single copy of the gene is present. Thus, a single affected parent can transmit them. Genetic screening carries the process of genetic counseling to a new and more systemic level. The potential for genetic testing and intervention escalated in 1990 when the United States Congress formally committed to the Human Genome Project.
