A short reflection the day after Mother's Day:
"The ethic of giftedness, under siege in sports, persists in the practice of parenting. But here, too, bioengineering and genetic enhancement threaten to dislodge it. To appreciate children as gifts is to accept them as they come, not as objects of our design, or products of our will, or instruments of our ambition. Parental love is not contingent on the talents and attributes the child happens to have. We choose our friends and spouses at least partly on the basis of qualities we find attractive. But we do not choose our children. Their qualities are unpredictable, and even the most conscientious parents cannot be held wholly responsible for the kind of child they have. That is why parenthood, more than other human relationships, teaches what the theologian William F. May calls an 'openness to the unbidden.'"
--Michael J. Sandel, in The Case Against Perfection
I'll be writing more about this book later this week. For now, I'm grateful for the unpredictablity of children, the unpredictability of gifts.
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5 comments:
I can't wait to read that book!
I do feel our culture has reached a point where people feel entitled to "choose" a certain type of child -- which means rejecting the child they may be given.
I have that book sitting on my "pile" so I'm very interested in hearing more of what you have to say. I'm writing the chapter in my book where I deal with whether or not reproductive technology allows for a "voluntary eugenics." My answer (as much as I give one, which I try not to, since the book is designed more to provoke thought than convince): Yes, it has that POTENTIAL, although we have to be careful when saying that those who use technology to ensure that children don't have serious genetic problems are exercising quality control or seeking perfection. That ascribes motives that such parents may not necessarily have. For example, it's interesting that the Jewish community, which has more to fear from eugenics-based ideals of those who are acceptable and those who aren't, largely embraces prenatal genetic testing, because Jews are disproportionately affected by a number of genetic disorders.
The other big thing I'm looking at in this chapter is how our culture criticizes parents who are perceived as careless in any way, and how that mindset affects reproduction. Parents are expected to carefully manage everything about their children, from how many they have and when they have them, to what they do to ensure their health and independence. I do worry that we will get to a point when parents "choose" (really, are pressured by cultural standards) to use technology to conceive children with certain traits, and that the justification for doing so will be that good, careful parents make sure their kids have all the tools to be successful and independent.
OK, that was long. I have to finish this chapter tonight so clearly it's on my mind!
Ellen and Louise,
Many thanks, and yes, a good read for both of you. It's short too!
Ellen, couple of thoughts/questions. Have you seen Gattaca? Not the best acting in the world, but a great cinematic version of the questions you addressed. Also, I think what's hard about so much of this--from birth control to abortion to PGD to IVF, etc.--is that many individuals making choices are making those choices out of good motives, BUT even with those good motives the collective impact is to devalue life and to mechanize life and make it seem as though it is under our control. I'm wrestling with this too. And can't wait to read your book:).
AJ
I have not seen Gattaca, but I've decided that many dystopian novels/movies are pretty on target when it comes to showing us the dangers of separating sex and procreation, and valuing planning, independence, success, and health above all. My favorite example is the book "The Giver."
And I'm struggling with the disconnect between individual motives and collective results. I think we do need to honor people's stories and motives, but also try to open people's eyes to the collective results of individuals making understandable choices in response to their pain. I wrote about this today on my blog in regards to the Indian surrogacy industry. I'm thinking part of the answer might lie in our becoming better equipped to respond well to people's pain.
It's all so darn hard.
Ellen,
Do you think a lot of it has to do with an ethic of individualism and a loss of seeing ourselves as a part of something greater--both in relation to God and to a family that extends beyond our immediate marriage and children?
Amy Julia
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