ABSTRACT
Even before the technical possibility of prenatal diagnosis, it was well known that the ‘natural’ birth of a person was actually not all that natural, because the decision to have a child was made wilfully. it has been like this for generations, even in cases of unwanted children. However, no child has yet taken action against his or her parents because they were either unmarried or poor, or were born in less than ideal social or political conditions, or had a serious genetic disease. Up to what point are parents responsible for the genetic endowment of their children? Should a mother who smokes or an alcoholic father be legally prosecuted and perhaps be obliged to indemnify the child for the damages caused by the parents’ lifestyle? These are just some extreme examples to better explain the problem.
