Ethical Minefield of Parents in Control

You are going to be a parent. Modern science is your guide, IVF your chosen method, the aim being multiple foetuses for maximum choice. Clutching the Book of Life - as the map of the human genome is known - you ponder your ideal child. There's Foetus A, which even as a mere mass of cells already has a bad report card: a genetic disposition to criminal behaviour. Select or dispatch? What of Foetus B? It has an excellent chance of being born with perfect pitch, but the gene map also points to depression. Move along. Foetus C? Gene markers for exceptional athleticism, and high marks for brain power to boot.

This is an exaggerated scenario of course, but it is not science fiction, and nor is it too far removed from the kinds of debates we face as we confront the choices scientific advances are delivering: gender selection of human beings, with selection for birth based on screening for not just major diseases or a preference for a particular gender, but also for personality traits and other skills or...