The Future of Human Reproduction w/ Henry Greely

Hello, everybody! I start the week with an interview with Dr. Henry Greely. He is currently the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law and Professor by courtesy of Genetics at Stanford University, and also an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He specializes in the ethical, legal, and social implications of new biomedical technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience, genetics, or stem cell research. He is a founder and president of the International Neuroethics Society; a member of the Multi-Council Working Group of the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative, whose Neuroethics Working Group he co-chairs; a member of the Committee on Science, Technology, and Law of the National Academies; and chair of California’s Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee. He’s also the author of The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction.

In this episode, we focus on Dr. Greely’s book, The End of Sex. First, Dr. Greely gives us an overview of the different types of assisted reproductive technology that go into easy PDG ((Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis), and to what extent they are develop, and how long it would take for them to be cheaper, safer and better. Then we talk about questions surrounding access to easy PGD, and equity. We also tackle genetic engineering. We discuss some of the political and social reactions and consequences of easy PGD, including the possibility of some people becoming “uniparents”. Finally, we debate the extent to which parents should be held responsible for the decisions they make about how they modify their children, and Dr. Greely tells us if we can expect easy PGD to be, generally, a positive or a negative thing for human society.

https://youtu.be/cpIP03XaIXw

Link to podcast version (Anchor): http://bit.ly/2Nk9MML